The New Normal
by BonesPixi
Summary: With the election just a few months away, what happens when Olivia and Fitz create a scandal they don't want to fix, but need to keep secret. Will they be able to keep it from the press or will it effect Fitz's chance for re-election? Set in Season 3 and not canon. Please Read :D OLITZ!
1. Chapter 1

**So I am new to writing for Scandal, but this season has made me far more of a fan than I have been.**

 **This story is set in around S3 and is not canon. I hope you enjoy :)**

Olivia walked into her kitchen, found the cork screw lying on the cupboard and then proceeded to open a very expensive bottle of red. She held the base of the stem and tipped the bottle until the glass was full. She lifted the rim to her lips and just before she could take a sip, she realised this wasn't allowed to be the answer to her problems any more. With a sigh, Olivia placed the glass back on the counter and took a step back. She lifted her hands to her mouth as the started to waver. She began to pace around the kitchen island, like she did when something was wrong, and right now something was wrong.

Her cell lit up from across the counter, and as she walked around to get it she could read the caller id. The phone rested on her fingers as she watched the name jump up and down on the screen. She breathed out as her thumb swiped the screen to accept the call. She went silent waiting for him to say something, because right now she didn't know what to say.

"Liv?" The voice on the other end said in the hushed tone she had come to long to hear. She slid down the cupboard until she was sitting on the kitchen floor. "Olivia?" He asked again.

"Hi," she finally replied.

"Hi," he echoed happily talking to the love of his life. Fitz listen to the silence and knew all too well what that could mean. "Liv, is everything alright?" He asked, wanting to know what had changed since they last saw each other.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just at the office," she lied, knowing that was a believable answer.

"You're working late," Fitz said looking down at his wrist.

"So are you, it seems," she retorted, he only ever called her this late from his office.

"Well, I was about to finish up for the night, and I was calling to say that Hal and Tom are working tonight and if you wanted me to come over tonight I could, but you're at the office, so another night it seems," Fitz explained, and Liv regretted telling him she wasn't home. But she was conflicted, she wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms that night, but she didn't want to talk, not to him, not to anyone.

"Another night," she agreed. "I, ah, I've really got to get back to work now," she again lied. "Good night, Fitz," Liv said before hitting the screen to end the call. Olivia twisted the phone around in her hands before standing up from the floor. Half zombie-like she walked out the kitchen turning the light off behind her and finding her way in the dark to her bedroom.

…

Olivia's eyes didn't move from the ceiling. She'd been lying in the dark for at least an hour as her thoughts played on a loop. They did this most nights, but tonight was different. Tonight was filled with thoughts she never imagined. Usually she thought about the clients she had, or how to control and fix the scandal that about to come out. She'd decided a half hour or so ago that she wanted Fitz there with her, but she couldn't just call the President of the United States to come over and cuddle up with her. That was just one of the million problems that occurred because she fell in love with the most powerful man in the world.

She looked over to the pillow that was on his side of the bed, it was still ruffled from the last time he was over half a week ago.

 _Oliva rested her head on Fitz's shirtless chest as she closed her eyes. The nights he was in her bed were far more bearable than the nights he was in the residence. Here they weren't the President and the Fixer, they were just Liv and Fitz. She felt his arms tighten around her bringing her even closer to him. Olivia opened her eyes and looked up to see Fitz staring down at her._

" _Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you're drifting off to sleep?" Fitz asked, making Oliva smile and blush, before placing her lips on his._

" _You have, but not nearly enough," she replied after their lips separated._

" _Well, I would tell you every night if I could," he said, bringing Liv out of the bubble she was happily in. While Fitz was at her apartment it was hard to remember that this was the anomaly in their lives not the other way around. She wished she could have this life, but she gave that up once she told Fitz to run again, knowing that was best for everyone._

The alarm buzzed before the sun had even began to rise, Fitz had to be back at the White House before the press got in. They both hated the early morning wake up, but it was worth it to spend the extra hours alone together. Oliva wrapped herself in her dressing gown, before finding Fitz shirt on the floor on her side of the bed. Picking it up, she brought it over to him, passing it to him just as he had finished zipping up his pants. Olivia helped Fitz with the buttons, wanting to saver the last moments they would have alone before the day had to start.

" _Thank you," Fitz said before pulling Olivia into his warm embrace. They stayed still for a good minute, not saying a word, just breathing in the others scent. Fitz kissed Liv on the top of her head, before pulling away. They walked out to the living room hand in hand, before stopping at the door. Their foreheads met and they smiled at each other, they might not be able to show their love off to the world, but it was moments like this where it didn't feel necessary._

It was right then, when Olivia knew she had to tell him what was going on, and unless there was a major work disaster she would go into the Oval and tell him in the morning.

…

Olivia walked into the Oval, not needing the okay from Charlotte to enter. Cyrus was standing in front of Fitz's desk, no doubt talking about the upcoming election, a topic that was never not being discussed. Both men looked to the door as they saw the former Communication Director come in.

"Olivia," Cyrus said in greeting.

"Cyrus, can we have the room," she said not bothering to exchange pleasantries. Cyrus turned to the President and received the nod to leave. Olivia waited for Cyrus to close the door before she made her way over to Fitz.

"Liv, what going on?" He knew the call last night wasn't normal, and was surprised to see her in his office. Fitz twisted in his chair as Olivia made her way over to the window, the window that was just out of the camera's frame. She gestured for him to come over and he promptly stood up and walked over to her. "Liv?" He pushed as he placed his hands on her hips. Olivia looked down not being able to look the President in the eye. "Hey," Fitz said softly as he lifted his right hand up to Liv's chin. He slowly raised her head up until he was looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

Fitz went silent waiting for her to explain why she was here and why she hadn't said a word in the last few minutes. As Olivia looked in his eyes she knew she wouldn't be able to not tell him. She'd kept a lot of secrets from Fitz during his presidency, but this wasn't even close to any of them, this was on a whole other level. Olivia took a deep breath ready to finally say it out loud. "I'm pregnant."

 **Please tell me what you think, and if I should continue. Would love to hear feedback.**

 **Thanks for reading :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW, thank you for the responses! Seriously Wow! Thanks to everyone you reviewed, followed and favourited, it means the world to me :) And because so many people said to continue, here is the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy :D**

Fitz scanned Olivia's face, she looked almost scared and not the put together Olivia Pope he had come to know and love. But to him the news was the best he had heard since they announced his presidency win. An almost Cheshire cat smile erupted on his face. He and Olivia were having a baby. This was certainly not what he expected to hear when she walked into the Oval.

Liv's face melted once she saw the joy that Fitz displayed. In that moment all her worries drifted away, though she knew they would soon come flooding back. Fitz pulled Olivia in by the waist, and he pressed his lips gently on hers. "This is good news, Livvie," he said as Olivia rested her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat in her ear. Fitz laid continual pecks on the top of her head, smelling the faint fragrance of her shampoo each time he did. Liv stood happily in his embrace, savouring the moment, knowing full well that an interruption was imminent.

Olivia knew Fitz believed in fairy tales and 'happily-ever-afters', but this wasn't what this was going to be. Not with him running for re-election. If news broke that the President had a mistress and that she was pregnant with his child, he would stand no chance in staying in the White House for another four years. But this wasn't something you could just cover up, pay someone off, and sweep under the rug, this was a real problem, even if Fitz didn't believe so.

Liv raised her head away from Fitz, and turned in place to be facing him, still in his hold. "You're not disappointed?"

"Disappointed? How? We've always said we wanted Vermont and Babies, now we're half way there," Fitz replied pushing a stray hair to sit behind her ear. Fitz left his hand by Liv's cheek, cupping his palm Liv leaned into his touch, kissing his hand as she did. It was true, they had pictured this perfect life together a thousand times, but Olivia never actually believe it could happen, or thought it would happen this soon. "When did you find out?" Fitz asked taking Olivia's hand in his, and leading her over to behind his desk.

"I took a home test before you called last night," Liv answered. And Fitz knew that was the reason she had seemed so distant. He didn't even care that she had lied to him about being in her office. There was a time that if she'd been faced with this news she wouldn't have come to him, she'd try and deal with herself. It reassured him that their relationship was in a better place than it ever had been, maybe this was the right time for this to happen.

"That's why you were so distant," he added as he placed a hand on her knee.

"Sorry," she apologised, she hoped she hadn't been obvious on the call, but that just confirmed that she had.

"You would have been in shock, it's understandable," Fitz replied. He would have been just as shocked, if he wasn't over the moon with happiness.

"You're taking it a lot better than I did," Liv laughed as she intertwined her fingers with his. "First thing I did was pour myself a very full glass of wine," she admitted.

"You-" Fitz began before Olivia interrupted him.

"I didn't drink it. It's still sitting on the kitchen bench going to waste," she reassured him. "It was a good year too, a gift from a client," she added, making Fitz chuckle with amusement.

"How about, in nine months we share a replacement bottle?" Fitz suggested as he wheeled himself closer to the desk and to her.

"You're buying," she said amusingly.

A familiar ring tone could be heard from Liv's handbag. Fitz sighed and leaned back in his chair, as Olivia ruffled through the bag to find her cell. "Olivia Pope," she answer formally as she didn't recognise the number. Liv listened to the caller, who frantically recalled the situation they had gotten themselves into.

"A client?" Fitz asked after Olivia put the phone back in her handbag.

"I have to go to my office," she answered mid nod. This wasn't an ideal time for a new client, she wanted to discuss the pregnancy with Fitz for as long as they could, because who would know the next time they would have a private moment.

"I'll call you later tonight," Fitz said as he joined Olivia standing up.

"Okay," she said, no doubt she wanted to talk more about this, but she didn't want to have to do it over the phone, but she also knew that it was most likely going to be the easiest way they could discuss this in private. "Can we keep this just between us? Until we have a plan," Liv requested as she turned back into 'Olivia Pope' mode.

"Of course," Fitz agreed. When it came to keeping their relationship secret, he was no layman, they'd had almost four years practice.

"I mean it. No Cyrus. No Mellie. No one," she reiterated. The last thing she needed was Cyrus to come barking before she was ready. Fitz shot her a look that said 'Why would I tell Mellie?' and Olivia realised she really didn't need to tell him not to share this, after all he wasn't a stupid man. Fitz's face warmed Liv and she placed her free hand on his cheek before putting her lips on his. They both smiled as they pulled apart, they very rarely got to have a kiss goodbye.

Olivia turned away from the man she loved, knowing she had to get into OPA sooner rather than later. Fitz watched as she made her way through his office, a smile still plastered on his face. "Liv," Fitz called out as she reached the door. Turning back around Olivia saw the smile that was still across the President's face. "This is good news," he said for the second time.

"Yeah," she smiled before opening the door to leave. Olivia knew before she even walked into the Oval that Fitz was going to be in 100%. But she also knew he wasn't thinking about the consequences. He was thinking about himself, not the optics, not his presidency, and not the future of the country. If he wasn't going to think of them, she would have to, she wasn't going to let her pregnancy be the downfall of this great nation.

 **So what did you think, still liking it?**

 **Please Review :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ahhh this episode of Scandal killed me in more ways than one, and i'm guessing i'm not the only one.**

 **Anyway, thank you again for reviewing, favouriting, following, me and the story, it truly means the word and I jump/scream with excitement each time I see a new email come in (my friends will a test to that), so thank you :D**

It was almost eleven when Olivia called it a night and headed back to her apartment. She had kept her phone in her hand from the moment it hit nine, knowing that Fitz could be calling any minute. She continually felt her hand tingle and every time it did she would check what it was, but it was never anything more than the anticipation of his call, or once when it was Abby calling to say she was coming back with something relating to their new client.

Olivia placed her phone on the bureau and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over her. She watched her cell repeatedly as she adjusted and then readjusted her head on the pillow. She wanted it to light up the room and announce that he was calling, but the more she looked on the further it felt from happening. Finally with a sigh she gave up, concluding that there was conflict in some far off nation that needed the President's attention more than she did. Normally she would turn on the television and see if the media knew anything she didn't, but tonight she was too damn tired.

Olivia's eyes flickered open as she heard a pounding fist on a door. She couldn't assume it was hers, but she also knew her neighbour wasn't one to receive visitors this late. Sitting up, she hesitantly put her feet out, finding the floor in the dark. Turning on the bedside lamp, she waited for her eyes to adjust before standing up. Walking to the front door she opened the peep hole to see Fitz standing on the opposite side with a smile on his face.

"I thought you said you were going to call?" Olivia asked confused as she opened the door to let him in.

"I know, but the most powerful man in the world has a few strings he can pull, and I thought this was worth pulling them," Fitz said as he made his way over to the white sofa. Closing the door, Liv followed after him. "And I feel like we should talk about this face to face," he said taking Olivia's hand and pulling for her to sit with him.

"Me too," she nodded as she sat close. Fitz's arm immediately pulled her in closer and she curled up into his hold.

"But, I can't stay long," Fitz said glumly.

"Some strings," Liv joked, bringing a smile back to Fitz's face.

They sat silently, neither knowing who should speak first. "So what do you want to do?" Fitz asked finally, knowing that ultimately Olivia would have the final decision, like she did most of the time.

"I don't really know what options we have. I've been thinking about it all day, and I haven't found a way that will work out for both of us. Which doesn't leave room for much choice," she explained, and it was true, everything she could think of would either be the biggest scandal in presidential history or leave one, or both, of them out in the cold.

"Well there is the option that I don't know want to say," Fitz started, and Oliva knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Abortion," she said for him.

"Yeah," he replied. He really didn't like that idea, and hoped she didn't either.

"I don't want an abortion. I'd already decided that before I came to see you this morning," she answered. It was one of the things that was keeping her up last night, but she decided against it. Sure she could always change her mind later on, but right now she was happy with her decision.

"Good," he said before laying a peck on her forehead. He only received the news of Olivia's pregnancy less than 17 hours ago but he already couldn't wait to see the life they would bring into this world.

"But," she started, and Fitz was nervous to see where this would go. "I want you to continue to run. The country and the world deserves, and needs, you to serve another term. I am not going to let this baby stand in the way of that," Olivia stated whole heartedly, but she knew Fitz would have objections to it.

"But this could be a fresh start for us, what we've always wanted," Fitz began to argue.

Olivia turned to look up at the man she loved. "What we've always wanted is for you to lead the free world," she corrected him. "Everything else comes second to that, as it should."

"This is where we disagree, maybe this is the life we were meant to have. You, me and this baby."

"As President, are there things you still want to change?" Olivia asked changing the subject only slightly.

"Of course there is," he replied, there were always laws that needed to be introduced or reformed, and he hated to admit it but in his first term he barely scratched the surface on things he wanted to change.

"Then your second term is where you do that. You don't have to worry about re-election or the polls, all you have to worry about is getting the bills passed. Run and make your Presidency count."

Fitz didn't have an argument. Until this morning he was set on winning the election and being the leader the country needed. "But what about you? What about the baby?"

"The press has no romantic connection between us, if they somehow got wind of the pregnancy they wouldn't be able to link it to you. I could go it alone or say it's someone else's," Liv began.

"No, you will not be a dirty little secret, or a cliché other family. And pretending it's someone else's kid is out of the question, no, I'm drawing the line there," Fitz said firmly. There was no way he was letting another man say that their kid was his, even if it was just to the media. He already hated thinking of Liv with other men, this would be agony. There was a knock on the door, which Fitz knew was the warning they needed to leave. Though he had instructed them to give it, it couldn't have come at a worse time. "Why don't we just tell the truth?" Fitz asked after standing up.

Liv let out an almost snort at the ridiculousness of that idea. "You cannot be serious," she said, though she knew he most certainly was. Liv joined him on her feet. "Fitz, you'll lose before they've even started to count the votes. Americans believe in family values. Do you really think they'll vote for someone with a pregnant mistress? They'll wonder how on earth you could take your presidential oath seriously if you can't even uphold your marriage vows."

"That's not fair," Fitz stated. She knew exactly why he was still with Mellie, if it was up to him he would be living in the White House with her, and not his wife.

"I never said it was, but it's how it is, there's no changing it. There's not enough time to work on the optics before the election," Liv said. Maybe it wasn't fair that being the best candidate didn't guarantee you the win, but it was how it worked.

"Well, what about after the election?" he asked walking over to the door while Olivia followed. "You said that after it wouldn't matter about optics."

"Possibly," she seceded. "But not straight away," she replied. There would still be things that would need to be worked out before going public but it wasn't completely impossible.

"That's a 'yes'," Fitz grinned and pulled her into his hold kissing her on the lips as he did.

"That's a 'maybe'," she corrected as their lips parted. But he didn't care. It was better than the alternatives. This way he could hold on to the hope that by time the baby was born they could be a public couple living in the White House for another four years, which was all he ever wanted.

 **What did you think? Is it true to character? or believable? or how much did the latest episode screw with me. (when Liv was in the waiting room, i was literally like 'Oh Shonda please dont screw with my story please', but whatever.**

 **Please Review :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**So since uploading the last chap (I was so pissed by the winter finale i just wanted to write straight away) ive been thinking is there a point to keeping writing this, but i decided 'yes there is'. We've all been screwed over by Shonda Rhimes too many times, and we deserve some happiness, even if its a little off canon (hell its not canon anyway). So i will continue to write this story how i planned it before that gut wrenching episode aired, and i hope you continue to read it as i upload. Thanks :)**

It had been a few weeks since Olivia and Fitz found out about the pregnancy, and they were both still over the moon with excited, Fitz more so. They had been successful at keeping it too themselves and were going to keep doing what they had been until they no longer could, or really when Olivia started to show. Olivia walked into the Oval to see Fitz sitting at his desk signing some forms while Cyrus stood over him.

Fitz looked up at the sound of the door opening, knowing only three people didn't knock before coming in, and one of them was already in the room with him. Fitz smiled happily when he saw it was Liv and not his wife. Cyrus turned around to see what had stopped the President. "Olivia," Cyrus greeted.

"Hi, Cyrus," she said waking passed the couches and over to the desk.

"Give us the room, please, Cy," Fitz instructed, and Cyrus inaudibly sighed before walking out and closing the door behind him. Fitz waited until he heard the door click shut before starting. "How'd it go?" Fitz asked as Olivia sat on the edge of his desk and his hand found a way to her knee.

"Good, everything's good," Liv answered as she opened up her bag. She found the photo she had be given and handed it to Fitz. "My doctor said that the baby is perfectly healthy," Liv said but she could tell Fitz wasn't so much listening anymore as he looked over the ultrasound picture. His finger's danced over the little bean shape, he was in a trance as he looked over the baby that he and Olivia had made.

"Wow," was all he could get out.

"She said I'm due around February 8th," Liv added, giving Fitz a rundown of her appointment. That was three months after the election and about 2 weeks after the inauguration, by time the baby was born Fitz would be a two term President of the United States.

"A Winter Baby," he said still marvelling over the ultrasound picture. "I wish I could have been there," Fitz sighed. It was the first time he had missed an ultrasound for one of his children, and he especially hated that he had to miss this one. Pictures were all well and good, but nothing matched the first time you hear the sound of the heartbeat.

"I know you do," Olivia said as she took Fitz's hand in hers. "But if you were there, the press would've had the story before we'd even had the appointment," Liv said.

"You'd think doctor-patient confidentiality would stop that," Fitz said glumly.

"It's the 21st century, Fitz, even if the doctor upheld their oath 100%, that doesn't stop the other people who work there. The nurses, the receptionist, even the other patients, all people who wouldn't hesitate at the large payouts the networks would offer. And suggesting locking it down until we're in and out would cause just as many questions, and it wouldn't be that hard to find out the answers. You not being there, protects us both," Olivia explained and Fitz knew she was right, no matter how much he hated it.

"What about the White House doctor? He's paid to be discrete," Fitz countered.

"As soon as I step in there everybody in this building will know I am pregnant and that you are the father, including the press," she disputed, there was no option he could think up that she hadn't already thought of. "I'm sorry Fitz," Liv said, she didn't want to keep crushing him, but they had to be realistic. "This is the best we get for now," she added pointing down at the ultrasound.

"I know," he said as he kissed her hand. Fitz looked up as he heard the door to his office open again, seeing Cyrus walk back in, he quickly hid the ultrasound picture in the open file on his desk before closing it. It was like they were in high school and were hiding a note from their teacher.

"Sorry, sorry," Cyrus apologised. "I'm sure you were both busy discussing the campaign," he joked knowing that with these two, a closed door meant that very little politics was getting discussed. "But I forgot to get those reports you were signing, I'll just grab them and be out of your hair," he said walking over to the desk and grabbing the recently closed file.

Fitz and Olivia quickly glanced at each other, eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Cyrus, I hadn't finished signing those," Fitz said trying to get the file back from his chief of staff.

"Of course you have, I saw you," Cyrus said holding the file in a tight grip.

"Maybe Olivia should check them over, second pair of eyes couldn't hurt," Fitz said trying to come up with another excuse to get the file back.

"Maybe I should," Liv said standing up and walking around the desk.

"Nonsense, this is a White House matter, it doesn't need the Olivia Pope seal of approval, no offence Liv.

"I want to read over them again," Fitz said standing up from his desk chair.

"They're the same things I give you to sign every week," Cyrus said as he walked out the door, something strange, stranger than normal, was going on between them and he was determined to find out what.

Olivia went blank, all blood rushed from her face. Cyrus had the ultrasound picture, and there was nothing she could do about it. "I'm so sorry Livvie," Fitz said walking up behind her. She no doubt blamed him, and she had every right to, he thought.

Olivia took a deep breath before answering. "It's not your fault," she said calmly turning in place, she knew as soon as Cyrus picked up the file he wasn't going to let it go. And Fitz couldn't have known that the one place he could hide the photo was what Cyrus was coming in for.

"Maybe its best that he knows, he was going to find out sooner or later," Fitz added holding out his arms for her.

"I would have preferred 'later'," she said waking into his embrace. But out of everyone to find out, Cyrus was one of the only people who would understand why keeping the pregnancy a secret was so important and necessary. And Olivia knew she could handle Cyrus, his bark was worse than his bite. She was more upset that it was no longer just theirs, that it wasn't their secret anymore. She wanted more time to get used to it before everyone else could make judgements. She thought she had another couple of weeks, maybe even a month before people would start finding out. But she also knew that once one person found out, another would, and then another, so it was time to face the music. "I should go talk to him," Olivia sighed out.

 **Oh Ohhh Cyrus knows...what will he do? (Bum Bum baaaa)**

 **Please Review :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing, i'm glad that you are enjoying it (if you are).**

Olivia walked to the White House Chief of Staff's office, as she got closer she could just hear through the office walls an unintelligible raised and angered voice. Olivia knew Cyrus had seen the ultrasound picture and quite quickly put two and two together, and also knew that as soon as she walked in there she would get verbally attacked by her former teacher. "Ms Pope, I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Ethan said as she walked passed the assistant's desk.

"Then be glad you're not me, Ethan," Olivia said as she placed her hand on the door knob and pushed. "Cyrus," Liv spoke as she entered the room. Cyrus turned after hearing the woman's voice, his face scrunched up and he shook in anger as he tightly held on to the square photo that should have never been in his hands.

"What is this?" He growled holding up the picture. Olivia quickly closed the door behind her, not needing Cyrus' booming voice to fill the White House corridors.

"You know what it is," Liv replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"To me, it looks like the downfall of this great administration. It looks like us all finding a new job come November. It looks like all the work we've done up until this point, it all going down the drain. But it can't be that, and do you know why it can't be that, Olivia? Because that would be a lot of damage caused by an irresponsible and adolescent mistake. And although you two might act like teenagers a hell of a lot of time, neither of you have let that come in-between this presidency before," Cyrus ranted, and all Olivia could do was stand and wait until he was done. "A mistress is one thing, you can spin a mistress, but a pregnant mistress, that's Rome burning, and you can't come back from that, especially this close to an election."

"Are you done?" Olivia asked after she waited for him to finish his speech. Cyrus' eyes narrowed as if he was thinking of what to say next but before he could even open his mouth, Olivia continued on. "This," she began as she took a few steps over to Cyrus and took the ultrasound picture out of his grasp. "Has nothing to do with you. Right now this is between me and Fitz."

"And soon all of America," Cyrus butted in. "Have you even thought about this? You could make this all go away with a simple procedure," Cyrus suggested, Olivia had been wondering how long it would take him to mention that option.

"Don't-" she began to say but was cut off.

"Olivia, come on, you're Pro-Choice. 'Abortion' isn't a bad word. It'll make all the problems that would arise go away. It should be something to think about."

"I know it's not a bad word Cyrus. But you're right, I am Pro-Choice, which means I believe in the right to let women choose what they do with their own bodies, and not let some old white man make that decision for them," Olivia said, very unsubtly throwing shade at Cyrus. "This decision has been made without you, like it should be."

"You're not thinking of the bigger picture," Cyrus snapped.

"Of course we're thinking of the bigger picture. When have you ever known me not to think two, three steps ahead of any situation? That being said- depending on clothes I should be able to hide any signs of this pregnancy until around five months, which will be about a month shy of the election. After that if the press gets wind of it, they have no romantic connection between me and Fitz, so they won't be able to link the paternity to him, and if rumours do spark I'm sure you will happily shut them down with that 'power hungry, party girl' death file you have on me. Fitz and I know the risks and what there is to lose, but we also agree that getting his second term is the most important thing, which is why we came up with the plan. You weren't meant to find out this way, but now that you know, we're going to need you on the team," Olivia stated. The plan was going to work with or without Cyrus, but she and Fitz both knew that it would be easier if Cyrus wasn't trying to destroy them at every move.

…

Olivia headed back to the Oval, realising that she left her handbag on Fitz's desk, but she also wanted to see him and let him know how things just went before leaving the White House. Opening the office door, she entered to see Fitz sitting on one of the sofa's reading over a file. He looked up and, upon seeing her, placed the file down beside him. "How'd it go?" Fitz asked, as Olivia came to sit across from him, still worried about the camera up above.

"He was angry, and at the moment he's on our side. But he is Cyrus and he can't always be trusted," Liv explained. In her opinion the conversation went surprisingly well. Even with the suggestion of terminating the pregnancy, which she knew was to be expected, he didn't threaten to get rid of or ruin her, like he had on multiple occasions. He was on board with it, and had agreed to keep it between them for as long as possible, it was probably the best conversation Olivia had had with Cyrus in a long time.

"We need to keep him on our side then," Fitz said and Liv nodded along. Though he couldn't see Cyrus doing anything with this information, he _could_ try to control them like he had in the past but they were stronger now than they were then. Also blackmail wouldn't work, Cyrus liked working in the White House more than anything else and he wouldn't jeopardise losing that or the election.

"I should go, I need to get into the office," Olivia said standing back up, which Fitz quickly followed suit. Olivia walked over to the desk to get her bag, and Fitz followed behind her. "I'm going to take this with me," she said referring to the ultrasound. "We can't have anyone else seeing it accidentally."

"Just let me see it once more," Fitz requested and Liv smiled as she handed it over to him. Fitz looked at the photo for a full minute before passing it back, and Liv put it straight back into the safety of her handbag.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Liv said before placing her lips of Fitz'. Fitz didn't want to let her go, though he never wanted to let her go, but as their lips parted and he watched Olivia head to the door, he was comforted by the fact that it wouldn't be that long of wait until she was again back with him.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, thanks for reading, reviewing, etc. Love hearing your feedback :)**

Olivia sat on her office sofa, flicking through the news channels until she saw the replaying of a press conference she had done earlier on one of the stations. She had spent the entire last half a week working diligently on this case, and was finally glad it was over. Olivia wondered if everyone could notice the chubbiness of her cheeks or if it was something just in her head. No one at OPA had mentioned anything, but then again that wasn't something you would bring up with your boss, no matter how close you are.

Olivia's cell buzzed on the coffee table in front of her, not recognising the number she was hesitant to answer, she was really not in the mood for pulling an all-nighter on a new case so soon after the last one. "Olivia Pope," she answered.

"Liv," the voice on the other end said, and Olivia was surprised to hear him. "Hi."

"It's 4am over there," she said. Fitz was in Germany for conference and had been for the last few days. They had barely been able to speak. The time difference made the midnight calls near impossible, not to mention they'd both been working almost non-stop.

"4:30," Fitz corrected, and Liv looked up to the clock to see he was right.

"That doesn't change the fact that it's still considered early," she fake scowled, because in reality to she was glad to hear from him.

"I'd have to be up in a half an hour, so it's not a big change," Fitz explained. He didn't care about the amount of sleep he got, he just wanted to hear Liv's voice. Plus he knew that would do more to keep him awake and alert than an extra few minutes of sleep.

"Okay," she smiled as she laid back into the sofa. "So what's going on over there? I've seen bits and pieces on the news, but the coverage has been scarce," Liv asked.

"Well we've made some headway with the peace agreement with North Zanzibar, but we still have a lot to flesh out before anything will happen. Then, I had my keynote address last night, which Cy is sure will gain some voters, but we'll see come election day," Fitz started.

"I've recorded it, I was going to watch when I got home," Liv added. She would have watched it live, if it hadn't been for her client.

"Good, I'd like to hear what you think. But other than that, it's unusually quiet on my front. Which is something I don't think I can say for you," he finished. Obviously he didn't have time to watch the news, and even if he did the German news cycle wasn't so much set on what was happening to scandalous senators in D.C. But he was always kept informed of the goings-on back home in one way or another.

"Just another day at Olivia Pope and Associates," Liv said, and they both fell into a natural silence.

Fitz listened to the sound of her breathing and wished he could be there with her, or she be there with him. Even though he'd be home in the next few days, the time away from Olivia was almost too much to handle. Since he found out about the pregnancy he loved her even more than he once had, something he didn't believe was possible. He loved that they were on the same page, and that they were truly the team that had been trying to be for so long. He loved lying in her bed together with his hand on her stomach, just waiting for the day their little bump would kick at the touch.

"How's Cyrus?" Olivia asked. Cyrus didn't usually go away on Fitz's international trips, but this time he made an exception, and Liv could guess why.

"You know Cyrus, he hasn't stopped. He keeps trying to convince me to convince you to give up the baby. Guess he thinks he still has time," Fitz explained and Olivia could only laugh at his attempts. She knew Cyrus had a much better chance convincing her than she would ever have of convincing Fitz. But even that chance was a slim one. Something extremely drastic would have to happen to make her change her mind, and she couldn't see that happening now.

"You'd think he'd learn, move on and accept it. He's stubborn not thick," Liv said.

"So, how are you feeling?" Fitz asked moving the subject off of Cyrus and back on to something he actually cared about.

"I was sick after lunch, and felt queasy this morning, but right now I'm great," she explained. She didn't know if the feeling right now was because it was late and her dinner had settled or if it was because of Fitz. But somehow ever since the 'morning' sickness started happening, it would never occur around him, so much so he would joke that she was making it up.

…

Fitz and Liv talked until the half hour was up, and after the call disconnected, Liv almost stood up to leave, but just as she did, she heard a knock from the other side of her office door. Before she could answer the door pushed open and Abby walked in.

"Good, you're still here. Look what the Senator sent over," she said as she held a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. "It's been so long since we properly talked, I just felt like we should open it up and bring on the old times," she smiled hopeful.

"I was about to go home, Abby. I'm not drinking," Liv replied.

"Hah, Olivia Pope not drinking, that'll be the day," she laughed before taking a seat and opening the bottle.

"I'm serious," she said as she pushed the glass away.

"What? Are you pregnant?" Abby joked as she poured herself a glass of red. Olivia went quiet. She didn't want to lie to Abby, she was her best friend. A lie of omission wasn't as bad as a lie itself. Abby looked up at the lack of response. And Liv's face said everything. "You're Pregnant?" Abby asked, her eyes almost bulged out of her head, and mouth hung open. "You are, you're pregnant," she said finally picking her mouth back up off the floor.

"Abby," Liv began knowing the tornado of questions that were about to come out of her friends mouth.

"With the Presidents baby? It is the President's, right? You're not seeing someone else and didn't tell me? I mean that is entirely possible you didn't tell me you were pregnant, who knows what else you've been hiding," Abby said shooting off everything that came to mind not really thinking through what she said, but she was still in shock over the news, there was no time for decorum.

"Abby," Liv tried again.

"My best friend is pregnant with the President of the United States' baby. Does he know? How far along are you? Why didn't you tell me earlier? And why isn't this glass bigger?" She asked at lightning speed.

"Abby, calm down, it's not a big deal," Liv said trying to bring the red head down a few levels.

"Calm down? Not a big deal? Liv, the Leader of the Free World is going to have an illegitimate child with his mistress, don't tell me that this isn't a big deal. And don't get me started on the fact that you're the mistress."

"Okay, I choose my words wrong, but you do need to calm down, I can't talk to you when you're like this," Liv said, and Abby wanted to know everything, so she would have to agree to whatever Olivia wanted.

Abby took a large gulp from her glass before speaking. "Alright."

"You have to promise to keep this between you and me, no one else can know, okay?" Olivia asked, she needed to know that before she said anything else.

"I promise."

 **So I really want to get into the Scandal fandom, I want to know the people who leave reviews and write stories, but I don't know where to start, so if someone would like to be the Aladdin to my Jasmine and show me 'A Whole New World' that would be awesome (sorry I had an essay on Aladdin recently- and the reference aren't leaving my head). So either leave me a review, shoot me a pm, or find me on twitter (its in my bio), and i'll love you forever.**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates in the last week, but I've been busy the last 7 days, one of which included finally going to my 1989 concert- it had been an extremely long year of waiting, but it was amazing and defs worth it!**

 **Anyway thank you all for reviewing, its all so lovely to read :)**

Olivia looked through the peep hole out into the hallway, and even though Fitz was usually the only person to knock on her door this late in the evening she was still surprised to see him. That was mostly because the last time she had talked to him she was told he would be in Europe for another day at least. Fitz stepped passed Olivia as she acknowledged his secret service agents before closing the door to her apartment.

Within a few seconds Fitz was pushing her up against the door and pressing his lips onto hers. He had longed to feel her lips again. The wait had felt almost excruciating. Even the elevator felt like it took longer to get to her floor than normal. Every night he was alone in his hotel room he wished for her to be with him, and he remembered that each night she wasn't was one night closer to being able to share a bed again. And finally, as she closed the door shutting them off from the outside world, she was his.

Olivia could taste the salt from the peanuts he had undoubtedly consumed on Air Force One. Pulling away from him, Olivia placed her palm on Fitz's chest and pushed him away from the door. No matter how often she tried not to, she could always imagine the secret service agent having their ear pressed up against the door listening in.

Fitz sat on the arm of her white sofa, he spread his legs a little and Olivia came to stand in the gap. Fitz's arms wrapped around Liv bringing her even more into his reach. "How are you here? I thought you were in Germany until tomorrow," Olivia asked placing her arms at the tops of his.

"I convinced Cyrus to leave tonight instead of in the morning like planned, wasn't too hard to do, gave him some spiel about being able to get back to work quicker, but I know he saw through that," Fitz explained.

"I'm sure he did," Olivia agreed, though she was surprised Cyrus was accommodating them.

"Fortunately the press doesn't know I'm back in, so we've got all night before they're any the wiser," Fitz added, there was lax a time where they could spend a whole night together truly worry free. The plan was to drive back to the air hanger and then Marine One would land him on the lawn and no one would know he had been in the States all night, except a select few.

"Then we should make the most of it," Olivia said placing her lips back on his.

"And we will," he said smiling about their upcoming night. "But first, how are you? Everything still good?" he asked. They hadn't the chance to speak for the last couple of days, and although he couldn't see anything too drastic changing in that time, there was always a chance something could and he wanted to know.

"I told Abby," Olivia said, it was all that came to mind.

"Woah, that's big," Fitz said a little taken a back, he didn't think they were going to tell anyone until they could no longer hide it, but maybe Olivia had a change of mind and he couldn't be happier about that. The sooner they could shout it to the world the happier he would be.

"Not really, she guessed and I didn't want to lie to her," Liv answered honestly.

"So we're still not telling anyone," Fitz said a little dejected. Even if it was just for a brief second he could picture a world where everyone knew they were expecting a child and he couldn't want that life more.

"I can trust Abby, she promised to not tell a soul, and also help out in any way I need. She, like Cyrus, understands the importance of keeping it between us," Olivia explained. She could read Fitz though and could see he was a little disappointed. "You want to tell people," she stated more than asked.

"I want people to know," he said truthfully. Hiding the pregnancy made sense but that didn't mean that it felt right or was what he really wanted to do.

"Who do you want to tell?" Liv asked. Maybe if those people could be trusted she would let him have this, but that was a big 'if'.

"America," he answered and Olivia chuckled, she should have expected that response.

"Individually. Is there anyone individually that you want to tell?" She asked again, hoping this time he would give a legitimate answer and not something like 'The Post'.

"Karen, Gerry and Teddy, tell them they're going to have a little baby brother or sister," he answered, he really wanted his kids to know, and share in his joy of having a new family member. "But they'd surely run to Mellie and I don't want her to know yet. So no, individually there's no one I want to tell," he said disheartened, he couldn't believe that there was no one he could tell and trust to keep it secret.

…

Fitz brushed at Olivia's fingers as they intertwined with his, her head rested on his shoulder. Olivia had quickly covered herself with Fitz dress shirt that had been lying on the floor, it was the only thing that would cover her up in arms reach. She wouldn't mention it to anyone but she was becoming a little body conscious, even if she had nothing to worry about. She knew her belly wasn't noticeable yet, and probably wouldn't be for another couple of months.

Fitz's free hand snaked up under the shirt and he placed his hand on her stomach, he wasn't going to let a piece of fabric stop him from properly holding her. He needed this, it was nights like this that made nights in that white prison bearable. Fitz looked down at Olivia, he wished he could read her thoughts, he always had wished for that. Though recently they'd been so open with each other it was hard to believe she'd keep anything secret from him, it wasn't the old days.

"I wish it could be like this every night," Fitz said breaking the silence with his musings.

"Yeah," Olivia added quietly. It would be nice to be able to fall asleep in his arms and not have to worry about him getting back to the White House in time or worry about them being caught out and being made public before they were ready, but all that seemed so far off that it was only achievable in dreams and wishes.

"Who knows, maybe soon we can," he said making Liv raise her head to look at him.

"What?" She asked confused.

"If I lose the election," he added clarifying what he meant.

"Don't say that," Olivia scowled. If he didn't 100% believe he would win, he would lose the faith in himself that he needed. And she had already made him lose that once, she wasn't going to let that happen again. "You are going to win. Everyone believes in you, so you need to believe in you," she said caressing his cheek.

"I know I can win," he said making Liv smile. It wasn't long ago that he wasn't so sure about that. "But would it be so bad if I didn't?" He asked and Olivia was taken aback. They had talked about this so much when they first found out she was pregnant, and she thought they agreed that he had to win. "We wouldn't be scrutinized by the public, I could divorce Mellie without worry about losing political capital, we could move into the Vermont house, and raise this baby together straight away," he said rubbing he stomach.

Olivia went silent and Fitz could only hope she was thinking it all over. But as soon as her face when cold he could tell he was in for a famous Olivia Pope ass-whooping. "You are running, you are winning, and you will be the President of the United States for another four years. You and I both agreed that this was how it was going to happen, you are not changing it or backing out now, I won't let you," she said looking him dead in the eye.

"Alright," he said trying to warm her back up. Though no matter what he said, it didn't mean he had to stop picturing the life they could have if he wasn't President. And what he saw, he liked, because it was a good life.

 **Okay so this was just a filler chapter, so please stick with me :D**

 **Anyway please tell me what you thought.**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Again sorry for the lack of updates this week, I had to resubmit an assignment so i spent half the week on that, and the other half dying of heat (I'm Australian...It's hot) so my brain has been mush. Anyway thank you for all who are review :) Enjoy**

Olivia walked in the Oval Office to see Fitz sitting behind his desk scribbling away. It was surprising to see no one else in there, usually she would have found Cyrus or an aide with him, the President was very rarely alone in the middle of the day. Fitz looked up at the sound of the door and upon seeing Olivia smiled happily before cleaning up his desk and standing up to meet her.

"The meeting hasn't started yet, has it," Fitz said, he'd been checking his watch every ten minutes for what felt like an hour, not wanting to be late. He was waiting for Liv, he didn't so much care about the meeting. She had a doctor's appointment that morning, and although he still hated the fact that he couldn't go with her, he couldn't wait to hear all about it.

"No, not yet. But I have something for you," she said as she put her hand in her purse and pulled out a USB. Fitz zeroed in on the memory stick, he could guess what was on there, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. For all he knew it was more campaign material or the latest poll results, both of which he didn't care about as much as seeing the ultrasound.

"Is that?" he asked and Olivia nodded.

"I convinced the technician to give me a copy," she explained. "Hope it can make up for not getting to be there," Liv said passing the USB to him. "And you can keep this one," she added. This was going to be easier to hide than the last picture would have been. No one would accidentally stumble across it, like Cyrus had.

He held the flash drive protectively in his hand as if he was actually holding his child and not just a video of it. Fitz held out his free hand, and Liv intertwined her fingers with him. Having her in his grasp he led her over to the desk. Opening the top drawer, he hid the USB at the bottom. He knew he didn't have time to watch it now, no matter how much he would want to, plus this would give him something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Fitz pushed a piece of Olivia's hair away from her face, as he cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned in to place his lips on hers. He hadn't had the chance to see her in a few days. They had talked on the phone most nights, but that could compete with the touch. Pulling apart Fitz rested his forehead on hers, and while one hand was still occupied with Liv's he placed the other on her stomach. Even though she was soon going into her second trimester, Fitz still found it unbelievable that they were going to bring a life into the world.

Liv smiled as she looked down at Fitz's hand on her little bump. When their eyes re-met, Liv threw her lips back on his, only pulling apart when they heard a knock on the door. Fitz knew what that interruption meant, it meant it was time for the meeting. "Let's get this over with," he said as they both stepped back and started for the door.

…

"Polls put us in the lead, but only by three points," Olivia said to the room, she'd studied the new poll numbers while in the waiting room this morning. Aide's filled the room, with Abby, Cyrus, Mellie and Fitz scattered throughout all listening to Olivia working her magic. "We need to do better, we need a clear victory. Why be three points in front, when you can be ten? We need to blanket the media with how effective this administration has been, and that President Grant is the best person to lead this country and deserves another chance. And with him as our Commander and Chief we will continue strive and remain strong," Olivia finished. Everyone had been to these meetings before and knew that once Olivia had finished talking you started on your role immediately. There was some commotion as most people left the room except for a select few. "Mr President, did you have a look at the campaign material I had sent to you?" Olivia asked, she was formal as there were still some aides in earshot.

"Briefly. The flash drive is on my desk," he said, he'd looked it over, but picking out ads to run wasn't high up on his to-do list.

"Alright, I will go get it," Olivia said.

"You sure?" Fitz asked, they has assistants who could go get them things.

"Its fine, I have to go to the bathroom anyway," she explained in a half whisper before leaving the conference room.

Fitz looked down at his watch, Olivia had been gone for over a quarter of an hour. He knew he shouldn't have, but he excused himself and went to find her anyway. It didn't take long to find her in his office. "Did you find it?" Fitz asked making Olivia jump in surprise.

"What?" she asked, not hearing what he had said.

"Because it's right there on the desk," he said pointing to a stack of papers with a USB clearly on top. Olivia looked over to where he was pointing and looked slightly embarrassed. Picking the memory stick up, she breathed out a laugh.

"I thought you said it was in the drawer?" she confessed.

"You already have pregnancy brain," Fitz laughed making his way over to Liv. It was going to be interesting seeing the usually all-knowing, power wielding woman not know what day it was.

"I do not have pregnancy brain," Liv disagreed.

"There's no shame Livvie…even Mellie had it, especially with Karen, not so much with Teddy," Fitz said holding onto her side. Olivia laughed awkwardly, she couldn't imagine Mellie with pregnancy brain. Fitz didn't want to talk about Mellie, so he moved the conversation along. "You were good in there, I'd vote for me," he said forcing Liv to crack a smile at his joke.

"Only as good as the candidate," she said, not taking the compliment. It was her job. She couldn't just be good, she had to be great.

"Well this candidate is very happy to have you on the team," he said placing his lips on hers.

"We should get back, they can't really do anything without the one of us," Liv said pulling away. Fitz nodded knowing that not much could get done without the candidate or the campaign manager.

…

A few days later-

Fitz stepped out of the now finished cabinet meeting, to find Hal and Tom waiting for him. "Sir," Tom said holding out the cell phone that only Olivia had the number to. "She called thirty minutes ago, and left a voicemail," Tom explained.

Fitz took the phone from the secret service agent's hold. He was curious, Olivia very rarely left a message for him, she'd always call back if it was important, and she knew he had a meeting tonight.

"Fitz," the message began, and he could hear the waver in her voice. "Something doesn't feel right," she said and his heart sank, he hoped that didn't mean what he thought it did. "Abby's taking me to my doctor," her voice was shaky and Fitz could hardly believe what was happening, it was only a few days ago that she was handing him the USB with the ultrasound on it. "I'll let you know how it goes."

 **Dun Dun Dahhh...  
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	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait after a cliffhanger, but you know Christmas, its a busy time...plus I was writing a Post 509 one-shot called 'Back to December'...its long and if you haven't checked it out you should *Shameless plug***

 **On with the chapter-**

"Take me to Olivia," Fitz ordered, he needed to know what that message meant and he couldn't wait around for her to call again. He didn't care if he had to wait outside her apartment for an hour until she got home, he didn't care about protocol, and he sure as hell didn't care about what anyone else thought. He needed to be there, if that message meant what he thought it did, he couldn't stay here doing nothing.

"Sir," Tom began, he didn't know how to tell the President that an unplanned outing was not possible this early in the evening.

"Now," Fitz instructed again.

"Sir, we can't, not yet," Tom tried again. Every time they left the White House, without giving prior knowledge, their careers were at risk. But leaving this early, while most people were still working was damn near a suicide mission. They'd never get away with it. And if they weren't fired, they'd be heavily demoted, and being on baby Teddy's detail was not something either of them wanted.

Fitz wasn't thinking rationally, he wasn't thinking about his Presidency, optics, or the safety of the country, all he was thinking of was his and Olivia's baby. Nothing was more important to him than that. But he had to think rationally, Olivia would want him to think rationally. "Then when?" He asked calmly.

"A few hours at least," Hal answered. Fitz let out a large sigh and walked back to the Oval shaking his head. He was scared. He was terrified of what that call meant. He walked back with his head up and strong and pretended he wasn't dying on the inside.

…

Fitz thought the motorcade was taking far longer than it normally did to get to Olivia's apartment building. His eyes kept going in and out of focus as they passed each street lamp. He needed to know what was happening. He was trying to stay positive, but that was easier said than done. His mind kept thinking about all the terrible things that that phone call could have indicated. The thoughts made him sick. His stomach felt empty, his chest had tightened and each breath he took felt heavier than the last.

 _Everything's going to be alright. It's just a scare, it happens to everyone,_ he kept playing over in his head. He needed to have faith. He needed to believe that all would work out. He needed to hold on to that hope, because right now that was all he had. He'd wanted a call to tell him that it was a false alarm and all was well, but that call never came. Any call would have been better than the silence he'd received. It felt like an eternity had passed while he sat at his desk pretending to do some paperwork waiting for Hal and Tom to come in and tell him it was time to leave.

Fitz felt alone. If they lost the baby, he was scared he would lose Olivia too, that it would all get too much to handle and they wouldn't be able to deal with it. And then he would have to grieve by himself. None of this was fair. Not hiding the pregnancy because of his presidency, pretending Olivia didn't mean more to him than she did, possibly losing the baby, none of it. How could this have happened? They were meant to be in the clear. Entering the second trimester meant the risk of miscarriage was slim. Just a few days ago he was listening to their baby's heartbeat and watching it move its legs around and seeing its tiny nose. He desperately wanted this not to be the end of all that. But he had a feeling it would be.

...

Fitz approached the door to the apartment and slowly knocked. He was scared of what future would lie on the other side of the door. He was holding out hope that it was the future he had been planning for the last few months, and not a new one that would send the former one up in flames. He heard footsteps approaching the door and he held his breath, he knew he would be able to read the answer on Olivia's face, and he was preparing himself for that. He heard the peep hole open up and let go of the breath he was holding. This was it, he would have the answer as soon as the door opened.

But as the door opened, he didn't see Olivia, it was her red-haired friend. Abby stepped aside to let the President in and then closed the door behind him. "Where is she?" he asked. He hadn't met this woman all that many times, but all signs pointed to this being the 'Abby' who took Liv to the doctor's.

"She's in her room," Abby said somewhat nervously. Was this because she was in the presence of the President of the United States alone or because she knew what lied at the end of the hall?

Fitz walked slowly down the darkened passageway. Olivia's room was near black. The only light to be seen was from the dimmed lamp on her bureau. Fitz stood in the doorway. Olivia was curled up in bed facing the drawn curtains. Her hand laid on her stomach and Fitz didn't know how to read the situation. "Liv?" he called out quietly, not knowing if she was asleep or not.

Liv slowly rose at the sound of his voice. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were tear stained. Fitz immediately went around the bed and came to sit next to her. Almost immediately he pulled her into his hold and she buried her head in his chest. He patted her hair as his heart broke. He needed to hear the words, he needed to know for sure, but he didn't want to push her. His face hardened and his nostrils flared as he tried blinking back the burning tears before they could fall.

Fitz could feel a small wet patch on his chest as Olivia's tears soaked through his shirt. "It's okay, we're going to be okay," he said kissing her hair as he did. But he didn't know if he would be okay. He was empty. He didn't feel anything but pain and heartache.

Olivia pulled back from Fitz, she looked up and saw the suffering in his eyes. "They couldn't find a heartbeat," Olivia said, the words catching in her throat as she did. She looked away after telling him, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle his reaction to the news. Her words broke him. It was the confirmation he so greatly needed but didn't want. Fitz wrapped his arms around Olivia tighter, he never wanted to let her go. His hands landed on her stomach. There was still the three month bump there, of course he knew it would be, but Fitz found it hard to imagine the bump still being there while the baby was not.

Olivia laid her hands on top of Fitz's, interlocking her fingers with his as she did. Fitz couldn't begin to imagine how Olivia was taking the news, but on the outside she seemed to be doing better than he was. He was meant to be comforting her, but he was so shocked by the miscarriage that he hadn't even began to comprehend it. Liv turned back into Fitz and curled up into him, he could feel her tears falling, and could hear as she choked back sobs. With his free hand, his thumb wiped at her cheeks.

Knowing that wasn't what she needed Fitz let his arm fall away, and he reached out to turn off the bedside lamp. In the dark he pulled the covers up over them and repositioned the both of them until they were lying down. Neither of them wanted to move, and neither of them would.

 **Okay, please dont kill me, please dont hate me, and please dont leave me.**

 **I was necessary for the storyline, i would not do this otherwise...my name is not Shonda**

 **So please leave a review telling me how much you hate me...and if you cried (just curious...I'm trying to bring out emotions with my writing and like knowing if it works or not)**

 **Again please dont hate me**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am so very sorry for the lack of updates this year, but I do hope you've been having a good year so far. the reason for the lack of updates is because one day i picked up a book and then 11 books later (in 11 days) i had finished a series that i have been trying to finish for years, so yay me.**

 **Also to the people who reviewed and said they didnt hate me, thank you, again i am sorry i put you all through that. To the one that said they wanted to whack me...come at me bro haha :)**

Fitz sat behind his desk in the Oval, people streamed in and out all day, but in all honesty he had no idea what they were saying or what he was agreeing to. It had been like this for over a week. He tried to return to how things once were, but that was easier said than done. It was still hard to comprehend that the life he had envisioned Olivia and himself soon having was now gone. And although his world had shattered into a thousand tiny pieces he had to go on pretending like nothing was out of the ordinary, that everything was fine and as it always had been.

He'd been so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the knock on the door, only when it tentatively pushed open did he come back to reality. There she was, standing by the door, looking as put together as she always did when she came to the White House. If anyone looked at her, they wouldn't have known she had suffered a tragedy only a week ago.

 _He didn't want to let her go, he wanted to stay here all night, holding her in his arms, stroking her hair and laying kisses on her forehead while he watched her sleep. But he couldn't. He had to go. Fitz slowly moved from the bed, he didn't want to wake her, she had been through enough today and would need her rest. He quietly put his shoes back on and picked up his suit jacket and headed for the door._

" _Fitz," he heard quietly coming from the bed. He turned to see Olivia sitting up and looking at him. She looked as emotionally drained as he felt. He wanted to envelop Liv back into his arms and fall into the bed, but something told him that wasn't where this was going._

"Liv," Fitz said, his lips quickly turning up at the corners. It was the first time he had laid eyes on her since that night. He had called to talk a few times, but each time she had either rejected his call or pushed him off the phone very quickly.

Olivia stood by the door, not daring to come any closer. She looked almost nervous, like she did whenever they didn't know where they stood in their relationship. Usually that was after a big fight, but this was unchartered waters, waters Fitz had never hoped they would have to sail.

" _I'm going to need to time to deal with this," she said. Fitz understood. He felt absolutely terrible, and knew what he was feeling, she would be feeling it tenfold. "Alone."_

 _He'd wanted to object, tell her that time apart wasn't what they needed, but he knew that was merely for selfish reasons. She would need time. And he would respect that. He would be there when she needed him. They were in this together._

Fitz stood up and walked around from behind his desk, but before he could get any closer Olivia put her hands warily out to show she needed space, and Fitz stopped. _Alone,_ the word kept echoing through his head. What did 'alone' really mean? And how long would it last?

"How are you?" Fitz asked, Liv instinctively touched at her stomach and then quickly took her hand away, as if she remembered what happened.

"We have a campaign meeting," Olivia said pointing back out through the closed door. It explained why she was in the White House, but not why she was in his office.

Fitz turned around and picked some papers up off his desk. "You could have had an aide come tell me," he mumbled. If she really didn't want to see or talk to him, she had ways around it.

 _Fitz walked down the hallway from Olivia's bedroom. He slowed when he was halfway and took a few moments for himself. He breathed deeply, and closed his eyes to stop the tears that were wanting to form. He wanted to turn back around, walk back into Liv's room and tell her that alone time wasn't what either of them needed. He hated this, he was the most powerful man in the world, but right now he felt powerless._

 _Fitz walked out to the lounge, Olivia's red-haired friend was still out there. She promised she would stay with Olivia and make sure she was alright. And then he left. He had to pretend that this wasn't one of the worst nights of his life. He couldn't show grief. He couldn't show sadness. He wasn't allowed to._

Fitz heard the door open back up, and he quickly turned back. "Liv, wait," he called and she stopped in her tracks. He was surprised she turned back, he thought she would be out of the door first chance she had.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"How are you? Really?" Fitz asked again. He was determined for a proper answer. He knew the likelihood of Olivia giving him one, but that didn't deter him.

"I'm fine," she said placing her hand on her stomach, and then again like before quickly taking it away.

"You're not fine, Liv. You can't be. What you went through, it's not something you can just get over. And I know you haven't. You've been here less than five minutes and you've already touched at your stomach twice," Fitz said and Olivia looked away, as if she was ashamed that he noticed. "Which is perfectly alright, just stop saying that you're fine and you're over it. Because I can't see how you are, especially when I feel like there's a piece of me missing," Fitz finished. He held on to a glimmer of hope, that if he was honest and open about his feelings, she would be to. But as Olivia glanced around the room, all he could see was her eyes screaming 'run'.

"Fitz," Liv said warningly. He could sense she wanted to remain closed off, and hide away her feelings like she always did.

"You shouldn't have to do this by yourself," he said. He wanted to help. Whatever she was feeling, he wanted to know.

"I have Abby," Liv admitted, avoiding Fitz's stare. Although Fitz was glad that Liv had her friend, he was also jealous, because he didn't have anyone to lean on. He had told Cyrus, but he was far from a comforting shoulder.

"You have me too," he said, and Olivia turned back to him and their eyes locked. He was amazed she didn't look away. He could see the hurt, the guilt, and the pain that hid just underneath the surface. They stood still. Fitz just wondering what was going on in her mind. Would she believe him? Would she let him back in? Or would she keep her reinforced concrete walls up?

Olivia took the few steps to close the distance between Fitz and herself. When she got to him, she reached up and placed her palm on the side of his face, and laid a peck on his cheek. "I know," she said stepping back. Liv turned back to the door and walked out. Fitz knew he was meant to follow, to go to the campaign meeting, but he couldn't get over the sensation that her lips left on his cheek. Did that mean there was still a chance for them? Would Olivia soon open up to him? Would they be able to work through all this together? He hoped so.

 **What did you think?  
**

 **I promise i won't read 11 books between now and updating again :)**

 **Please Review :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**So Ive been getting some good and bad feedback, some people dont like the direction the story is going in, and I understand that, but i do want to stress- please dont leave just yet, just wait for the election.**

 **To the people who dont want to leave thank you for sticking by :) also sorry for not updating earlier, had a family emergency on friday, and last night ffn was down so i couldnt update, and also the week just kind of disappeared.**

 **This is a longer chapter than normal, just cause i was originally going to spread this over two (or more) chapters, but cause i know people want me to get back to happy Olitz i joined them up.**

 _Thursday_

Fitz sat on the sofa's, he knew Olivia would be in the White House any minute for the next campaign meeting and he wanted to finish reading the report he had before she got there. As he reached the last page, he heard the door push open. He quickly scanned the last words before he looked up to see Olivia had already taken to the sofa across from him.

"Liv?" He was shocked that she had already made herself comfortable, he was sure she was just going to pop her head in and tell him it was time to meet.

"I've been so caught with how I was feeling, I never asked how you were doing. So I'm sorry about that. How are you?"

Fitz didn't even know how to answer. He wasn't ever expecting those words to come out of Olivia's mouth, especially today. "I have good days and bad ones, I'm sure you do too," he answered, and Liv nodded along, but she didn't say anything, which told him to go on. "It's all still seems so surreal, some days I still don't believe it, or I don't want to believe it," he explained moving the file to the space beside him before rubbing at his face.

"I'm sorry," she said warmly. Fitz didn't know what she was apologising for, it wasn't her fault she'd lost the baby, and how she was dealing with the lost was completely in character for her.

"But being able talk this all through with you, is making it all so much easier to deal with, so thank you for opening up to me, I think we both have needed it," he said, trying to put her at ease, no one was to blame for this cruel turn of events, and he thought knowing that would help her too. He was glad they had been communicating a lot more in the past half a week, it made a drastic difference in dealing with the grief.

"Yeah," she agreed happily, and Fitz was glad to see a smile back on her face.

…

 _Tuesday_

Fitz watched Olivia out of the corner of his eye, she was sitting facing him a few seats over in Airforce One. He was giving a few campaign speeches over the next few days in Ohio. Though at first she had decided to stay in D.C while he went, he was able to convince her that he needed his campaign manager and the trip would remain completely professional, especially with Cyrus, Mellie and a handful of aides tagging along. Liv sat looking at Abby, and he could only guess the two were talking about the campaign in great detail.

Cyrus sat across from Fitz rambling on about key points in Fitz's first speech, and about which points to hit hard. Fitz nodded along only taking in half of what he was saying. He looked over to Mellie and could see that she wished to be anywhere but here, which he could relate to. Across the aisle his gaze landed back on Olivia, and before she could react, their eyes locked and for a moment everything that had happened in the last few weeks faded away. She smiled before returning her attention back to Abby.

"Mr President, are you listening?" Cyrus said after looking up and seeing Fitz looking off to the side. It would only take him one shot to guess who he was staring at, who he was always staring at.

"Yes, budgets, go on," Fitz replied. Cyrus face scrunched up disapprovingly, as if he was a teacher and was trying to embarrass a student for not paying attention in class, but it backfired.

Within less than five minutes Fitz's eyes had fallen back on Olivia, and like she could feel it, she looked over to Fitz for the umpteenth time on the flight. Their conversation was inaudible, Olivia's eyes seemed to say everything she had been unable to. Fitz smiled that smile he knew could melt her, and then suddenly something flashed across Liv's face, and he was unable to read it once more. And as if nothing had happened Liv turned back to Abby and continued talking.

...

 _Sunday_

"That was a good take," Olivia said coming out from behind the camera where she was standing with Abby. "But maybe lean back a little, and come off less serious," she instructed, and Fitz moved around in his chair. "And can we have someone come fix his hair," she called over to the hair and makeup people off to the side.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Fitz asked nervously touching at it.

"Trust me, you'll thank me later," she said swatting his hand away.

After a quick touch up, and a few more takes, they both agreed they had what they needed. Leaving the film crew to pack up, and Abby to get the footage, they went back to the campaign room.

"So I think we should work on your speeches for the next few rallies," Liv said taking a seat at the large table. Fitz took his at the head.

"Liv, look around," Fitz said, and Olivia glanced around the room. "We're alone, we don't have to talk about the campaign."

"What if I want to talk about the campaign," she said, with hint that she was fine not talking about the campaign. Fitz wheeled his chair over closer to Olivia. He took her hand off the table and played with her fingers. He could hear her breath quicken, and he was glad he still had that effect on her.

"I've missed this," he said. And he really had. He missed their stolen moments, just quick moments of alone time, which he of course wished could be longer, but anytime they could have together was worth it, no matter the length.

"Yeah," she smiled and she rested her head in her free hand, as she looked up at him. They didn't say anything, but each stroke or brush of her fingers spoke wonders.

"Do we want to review the footage now, or?" Abby said walking in and interrupting the moment, she shot them both an apologetic look seeing she had disrupted them, and turned to leave, but Olivia called her back and waved her over.

…

 _Saturday_

It was late, Fitz sat in the Oval going over some things he needed to sign. It seemed that the country could not run if he didn't sign the same stack of forms each day. He rubbed his forehead in exhaustion, all he wanted to do was go to bed, but as he stared over to the phone he knew that the bed in the residence was not the one he was yearning for.

He wondered if Olivia would be home, or even awake, and if she was would she accept his call. They had been on better terms recently, but he was always scared she was fall back into being as closed off as she was before. He knew there was only one way to find out, so he picked up the phone, asked for a secured line and dialled her number.

"Hi," she answered on the second ring.

"Hi," he replied a little astounded that she answered so quickly. Did this mean she actually wanted to talk to him, or was she going to push him off the phone like she had a few times recently? "I just want to talk," he said honestly. Fitz could say he had a question about the campaign, but everything to do with the campaign had been talked to death, and he didn't want to force her into a conversation she didn't want.

"Alright, what about?" Olivia replied in a tone that suggested she was actually happy that she was on the phone to him.

"Oh," Fitz stammered a little taken a back, he hadn't thought this far into the conversation, he was really calling because he needed to hear her voice. "I don't actually know," he answered, and Olivia let out a short chuckle, which was music to his ears.

They went silent, and Fitz didn't so much mind the lack of talking, he was just happy to be on the phone with her. It was nice to be like this, it had felt like it would take forever to be able to return to this place. He could only hope she felt the same.

"Hal and Tom are on tonight, I could come over," he said breaking the silence. He knew asking was risky and that being so forward could get him into trouble, but he needed to try.

Olivia remained silent, Fitz could only guess she was going over his offer in her head. Would she say 'yes'? Would they be able to take another step forward in mending what had been broken? Would he be able to sleep in the same bed as the woman he loved and not with his wife?

Olivia took a deep breath before answering. "I don't think that's a good idea," she began, and Fitz sighed. "You have a cabinet meeting in the morning and then you're going to Virginia for some rallies, you shouldn't be sneaking out the night before all that," she continued, and Fitz knew she was right. He also loved the fact that she knew his schedule better than he did.

"Maybe another night then," he conceded without putting up a fight. "Does this mean I should hang up now?"

"Only if you want to."

…

 _Wednesday_

Fitz sat in yet another campaign meeting, he loved watching Olivia work her magic, but the amount of meetings they were having was feeling excessive. Sure running for President was no easy task, and although four years had passed since the election, he didn't remember having this many meetings the last time he'd run. But he got to see Olivia, and most days that was all that mattered.

"So now that Reston is out of the race, it's down to you and Sally. And we've beaten her before. So doing it again shouldn't be a challenge. We have you up in the polls, if we can keep the press painting you in a good light, and keep any scandals from the nightly news and morning talk shows-"

"And by 'scandals' you mean you, right?" Mellie interrupted in a snarky tone, and then flashed a smile as if she had said nothing wrong. Fitz studied Olivia, but she seemed unfazed by what had just been said. He looked around to see who was actually in the room and realised everyone knew about their relationship, and even a majority knew about the pregnancy.

"Come Election Day we should come out on top," Olivia continued, disregarding Mellie's comment. "Alright, that's it for the day," she finished. Mellie and Cyrus were out of their chairs and heading to the door almost immediately. Olivia and Abby cleaned up the polling results and campaign material up of the table.

Fitz lingered in his chair, waiting for Liv to stop so they could talk. He wanted to tell her that he felt like they were returning to a good place, a place that they hadn't been able to be in the last month. But before he could say anything Olivia was following Abby out the door and he was now sitting in the empty room alone.

…

 _Friday_

"Can I talk to you?" Olivia asked after another campaign meeting came to a close. Fitz looked at her confused, she didn't need to ask permission to speak with him. "Privately?" Fitz nodded, and Olivia followed him out of the conference room and back to his office. They were both silent on the walk.

"What is it?" Fitz asked concernedly, as he closed the door leading into the Oval. Olivia walked over to the sofas but stayed standing. She looked down not meeting his gaze, as if what she was about to say was going to be difficult. "Liv?" He pushed after what felt like ten minutes of silence, but in reality was just thirty seconds.

"I have to leave," she began, and Fitz didn't know what she could mean. "Leave Washington," she continued, as if knowing what was running through his mind.

"No," he immediately said, without ever thinking. "Why?" Maybe if he could understand her reasoning he could somehow convince her that she shouldn't go, that whatever she was feeling they could work on together.

"I threw myself into the campaign and my clients, thinking if I could focus solely on that, then I wouldn't have time to think about anything else. And it was working. Until it wasn't," she started, and Fitz could see tears welling up, and getting ready to fall. "But being here. Seeing you. It's all becoming too much. I've tried, I've really tried to handle this all, but everything just feels like it's falling apart. And I need time to fix it, time for myself, time away from all this," she said gesturing to the room, but Fitz could tell she didn't just mean the White House and Washington, but him as well.

He understood, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Liv, don't do this. If you want time off from the campaign take it, I don't care about that, just don't leave," he pleaded, taking steps towards her.

"I will be back, I promise you. And when I come back, I want to work on us, no more secrets, no more running, completely in, make it really work," she added, and although that all sounded amazing, he didn't understand why she had to leave for them to get to that place.

"Please," Fitz begged as he tried to pull her into his hold, but before he could even touch her she had pushed his hands away and taken a few steps back.

"I just need a month, maybe two,"

"The election's in two months?" he said confused, he couldn't believe she wouldn't be here for the election.

"My team will still run your campaign, Abby's just as good as me, and she's been working the campaign with me already so she knows everything I have planned. You'll be in good hands, I trust her, she's the only person I would trust, other than me, to run your campaign," Liv explained, but like Fitz had already said, he didn't care.

"No," was all he could say.

"You need to run like you want to win. I know you can win, and your second term will be one for the history books. I believe in you. Just please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," she continued. She wasn't even listening to him, it was like she had practiced a speech before coming in, and she was trying to stick to it as close as possible. "I love you, but I really need to go."

"You can't leave."

"I'm not asking for your permission Fitz," she said stepping closer to the door. Fitz wanted to reach out and pull her back in, but he knew whatever he said wouldn't change her mind. "Goodbye," she said, her hand on the handle, and Fitz's heart dropped.

"Olivia," he called out, but she was already gone leaving Fitz standing astonished in a room that felt a lot emptier than it normally did. How could such a short conversation upend his world?

 **Okay i know i know, but Liv will be back within the next 5 chapter (could be 1, could be five im not giving spoilers).**

 **So this chap probably didnt do much for the people who were thinking of leaving, but like Liv said, once she comes back shes going to really try for them, and I and she really does mean it, she just needs a break.**

 **Anyway please leave a review telling me how much you hate me...i love it :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to all the people who havent left me or the story...i know trusting the writer can be difficult (especially cause I'm new to scandal writing and you wouldnt have read any of my work before-but i try not to be too mean to my readers...though i know the last chapters i dont make it seem like that ahah)**

 **Also look, it didnt take me over a week to update, you should be proud...im trying to power through these chaps without Liv, cause i know everyone will want her back as soon as possible.**

Fitz sat on the sofa in the residence. It had been a week and a half since Olivia had left, but the pain was still as raw as it was when she walked out the Oval. He felt empty without her, but he decided to throw that all into the campaign and winning the election, it was a welcome distraction, one he needed.

He picked up the tablet off the side table, and took the memory stick Olivia had given him a little over month ago out of his jacket pocket. He breathed out a sigh, before loading the video up. He had lost track how many times he had watched the three month ultrasound. He didn't know why he was continually torturing himself. Maybe because he liked remembering a time where this was real, or he liked picturing the future he and Olivia could have, and were so close to having, or maybe he just still couldn't believe it was all over. Either way he knew he had to stop, but he couldn't. It played on loop whenever he was alone.

He smiled as heard the heartbeat echo throughout his earphones. He looked at the outline of the baby's face a wondered who it would have taken after more, him or Liv. But like always he remembered he'd never find out, and his chest fell in revelation.

"What are you always watching on that thing?" Mellie asked as she came into their bedroom and took her heels off. He didn't even hear the door open.

"Nothing," he quickly said before exiting the video and locking the tablet and then throwing it down next to him. Not wanting to spend any extra time with his wife then he needed to, he walked into the closet to change out his suit now that the day was over.

Fitz stared at the clothes that were in plain sight, he pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweats and tossed them onto the bench chair and then sat next to them, not bothering to start getting changed. Taking a deep breath, Fitz laid his head in his hands, he was glad the day was over, it meant there was only 51 days, give or take, until the election, though that wasn't what he was counting down to.

He started unbuttoning his shirt, knowing the sooner he was dressed the sooner he could be in bed. When changed he walked back out into the bedroom, he ran his hand through his hair, scratching an itch, and then stopped dead in his tracks. "What the hell?" He exclaimed looking over to where he had been sitting less than ten minutes ago.

"My thought exactly," Mellie said, her lips pursed in disgust. She placed the now unlocked tablet back down, and ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to find the right words.

"You had no right," Fitz said making his way over to the sofa and taking the USB from the device.

"I had no right? Let's talk how you got your mistress pregnant. I can't even believe you'd be so stupid. What are you going to do? Move her in here and raise the baby up together, like this won't be the biggest scandal in Presidential history?" Her voice raised and Fitz was sure if there was anyone outside they would have heard every word as clear as day.

"Shut up, Mellie," he said turning away from her, he really didn't need to hear this now, or ever.

"Is this why she left? Because she's pregnant, and you couldn't hide it anymore? I swear to God, Fitz," she said almost growling.

"She didn't leave because she's pregnant," Fitz's voiced raised, he was already having enough of her unnecessary rant, and needed a way for her to leave him alone as fast as possible.

"What did you two have another one of your little fights?" She asked rolling her eyes. "Did you both have different opinions on what you should do and she upped and ran away?" Mellie said in a tone full of mockery.

"She lost the baby a month and a half ago," Fitz finally revealed, his heart breaking to say those words.

Mellie's mouth hung open, the words she was going to no longer needed. She was dumbfounded, speechless, and all that anger she had just felt disappeared. "Oh," was all that could escape. She could see the pain in Fitz's eyes, it had been there for weeks, almost months. She'd assumed it was Olivia's doing, but she would have never predicted this.

She should have been happy, this baby could have ruined everything for her, but seeing Fitz standing there looking how he did, hit a nerve she didn't think was there anymore. She knew Fitz better than most people, and knew how much being father meant to him. And a baby with Olivia would have been everything.

Fitz watched as his wife's face softened, and to say he was surprised was an understatement. He expected more yelling, he never expected her to be at a loss for words. "Sit down," Mellie said in a comforting tone as she poured them both a drink. Fitz took the glass from her hand and took a sip, but he didn't take a seat. "Sit," she nodded to say it was alright. He looked Mellie up and down, sure she was playing an angle that she would use against him in no time. But there wasn't any hint of that on her face. It was apologetic and full of general concern.

After following Mellie's instructions Fitz didn't say anything, he just continued sipping at his glass of scotch, and staring at the blank walls. What could he say, it wasn't as if Mellie was Olivia's and his number one fan.

"What happened?" Mellie asked, but Fitz wasn't sure if he should divulge that information with her. Though it would be the first time he had a chance to really talk about. Sure he and Olivia talked about it, but they were always so cautious bringing it up, not wanting to go through all that pain again. Maybe this is what he needed, someone new to the situation, it couldn't hurt to try.

Fitz didn't know where to begin. Did she want to know everything? Did he even want to share it all? And would he relive if he did? "She found out she was pregnant, and everything was going well, the baby was healthy, and then just after that ultrasound, her three month, she called me, had to leave a voicemail, telling me something was wrong. By time I could get over there she was back from the doctors, and well," he finished, not being able the say the word 'miscarriage'.

Mellie swallowed hard, only being able to guess how hard this would have been for both of them, now more than ever she felt extremely lucky to never have gone through that pain. "Why'd she leave?" She asked.

Fitz thought against telling her, but she'd been so surprisingly understanding that the words just came out. "She closed herself off and bottled it all up, until it all became too much for her to handle. She needs time on her own to deal with the loss. I understand, I just wish she didn't have to have left to work everything out."

"And how are you feeling with all this?" She was intrigued to know, they very rarely shared like this, and she wondered if he would even answer.

"I'm the President of the United States, I don't get to have feelings," he said, it was how he had been made to feel from everyone around him, especially Cyrus, not so much Olivia.

"Fitz," she pushed, trying to get him to open up.

"I miss her," was all he could muster up. Mellie took his hand in his, and it was comforting to know he had someone, even if it came in the most unlikely of places. "Thanks, Mel," he said looking down at their hands.

 **This chapter was necessary, cause Mellie needed to find out (plus its going to be fun to write when Liv does come back). this chapter is in no means meant to be read as romantic. but i do like Mellie and Fitz as friends (like in S4).**

 **I also think how Mellie reacts can be very unpredicatable, so theres that.**

 **Now we're one less chap until Liv comes back YAYAYAYAYA!**

 **Anyway, Please Review :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Look i updated again, you guys really should be proud ahah.**

 **I'm guessing not a lot of people like the last chapter, probs cause there was no Olitz in it, so sorry about that, but it was a necessary chapter.**

 **Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter better than the last.**

Fitz sat at his desk in the Oval as his now new campaign manager went over a strategy for the election that was now only a month away. "Is this your idea?" Fitz asked, he had heard tactics like this before but they usually came from someone else, someone he knew well. "Or Olivia's?"

"Ah, excuse me?" Abby said a little taken aback. "It's mine," she said, and Fitz could hear the waver in her voice, and he knew his theory was correct.

"Is she back?" he asked completely full of hope, maybe she only needed a month and not the two she suggested. After all she did only give a rough estimate.

"No, she's not," she said, and watched as the smile fell from his face.

"But you know where she is?" Fitz tried again, maybe just knowing where she was would help settle this feeling that had yet to disappear since she left.

"Olivia didn't tell me, she didn't tell anyone," Abby answered truthfully. She wished she knew that piece of information, but Olivia had guarded that very close to her. For all she knew Olivia could be anywhere in the country, even the world.

Fitz's eyes zeroed in, he could tell she wasn't saying everything. He might not have known the woman all that well, but he could tell she was keeping something from him. "You've talked to her though?" Fitz watched as Abby glanced around the room, trying to do anything but meet his gaze. "Please tell me," he pleaded. Though he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know that particular answer.

"I have, sir," Abby admitted.

"She doesn't answer my calls," Fitz said looking down. He had called a few times, he knew even trying was futile. His attempts always rang out, he thought she was doing that to everyone, but like always when it concerned Olivia, he was wrong.

"I'm sorry, I know this is hard on both of you," she apologised, though Fitz didn't want her apologies, all he wanted was to talk to Olivia.

"Let me talk to her," he instructed.

"I'm sorry, Mr President, I can't do that," Abby replied.

"That wasn't a request. You work for me," Fitz informed her, just in case she had forgotten.

"I don't work for you, sir. I work for Olivia," Abby explained. She tried to stand her ground against the President. She would do anything for Olivia and this was what Liv wanted, so she was willing to do it.

"And Olivia works for her clients. I am her client," he replied, his tone authoritative, like it always should be. "Olivia gives her clients what they need, and I _need_ to speak to her," he said, and wondered if it would be enough to convince the red head to do his bidding. Abby took a deep breath, trying to decide what to do. She knew what Olivia wanted, but Olivia wasn't staring at her looking like a beaten dog. "Please," he almost begged.

Taking her phone out her bag, Abby went through her contacts until Olivia's name was on the screen and then passed her cell over to the President. He looked up at as if she had just handed him a golden ticket. She knew she would hear about it from Olivia later, but she also knew she could handle it.

Fitz stared at the screen, knowing that she was only a tap of the screen away was the best feeling he had had in a while. Hitting the 'call' button he put the phone to his ear. He hated that he had to lie to her so they could speak, but that didn't take away from the joy and excitement that was now coursing through his body.

"Abby? What is it? I thought you were at the White House?" Olivia answered on the first ring, the phone must have been in her hand. But he was so happy to hear her voice he didn't think about that.

"Liv," he said in a wary tone. He was assured she would hang up at knowing it was him. The line went silent. He could only imagine what was going through her mind upon hearing him. "Please don't hang up."

"Can you put Abby on," Olivia said finally, and although it pained him, he passed the phone back to the woman standing in front of him.

"Liv, I'm sorry, he worked it out," Abby said taking the phone back from the President. "No, just that-" she said turning and walking a few paces away from Fitz and lowering her voice. The rest of the conversation was inaudible, and he could only watch on and hope that the cell phone would be back in his hands soon. "Alright," she finished, her voice loud enough for Fitz to hear again. He watched as she walked back over to the desk and held out the mobile for him to take. "You have ten minutes, then I'm coming back for it," she said and then spun around and left the office.

"Thank you," he said placing the phone to his ear. He was over the moon that Olivia had decided to take his call. She could have hung up as soon as she was finished with Abby. "I miss you. I miss you every day. You've got me counting down until you're return, and I don't even know when that really is," he blurted out.

"Just one more month," she answered, and Fitz rolled his eyes, he already knew that, but that wasn't an exact date.

"I'm worried about you. Being on your own, no one knowing where you are. Tell me where you are," he said almost sounding defeated. Olivia went silent, and Fitz was worried he pushed too much too soon. He wanted to know, for his own peace of mind. He could fantasize about finding her, but he wouldn't act on it, knowing that when she came back it needed to be on her own terms. "Come back," he said, it had felt like the longest month of his life, not being able to see her, not being able to talk to her. He was so far passed just missing her.

"I'm not ready yet," she replied.

"To see me, you mean. You're not ready to see me," he said working something out.

"Fitz," she tried to console, but he continued.

"You said it was this place, this city, but really it was me. Wasn't it? You needed space from me," he deduced.

"No, it's not just you," Olivia tried to explain.

"Really Liv, because you won't take my calls, but you'll take hers. You're still working on the campaign, from wherever the hell you are. How can I believe you?" He asked, anger running through his words.

"Everything I told you when I left was the truth," she said trying to calm him down. "I take Abby's calls because she's running my business, so when I come back I have some semblance of a career to return to. A few phone calls here and there is not the same thing as being in D.C 24/7. It's not the same thing," she explained.

"Come back, I can't take you being gone for another month," he said.

Olivia fell silent again. He wondered about all the unsaid things between them. But then he remembered everything she did say before she left. How when she came back she wanted to give them a real shot, everything else be damned. That was what he was holding on to. The hope that once she returned they'd be together, truly together, screw what anybody else thought or wanted.

"So," he began after a minute or so of silence, deciding a change of topic was needed and necessary. "How are you? Has being gone been working for you?" he asked, he was curious, he was desperate to know if the time apart was worth it. He could only hope this wasn't all a waste of time.

"It seems to be. I feel unrestricted, and I don't have to lie or keep secrets here. It's freeing," she explained, and Fitz felt a little to blame for her needing to escape to feel that way. If it wasn't for him and their relationship she wouldn't need to hide away any part of her life. "It's definitely less stressful," she laughed.

"I'm happy you're doing better, Liv," he said glad that whatever she had been feeling back before she had left was disappearing.

"How about you, how are you with, you know?"

"I think I've finally accepted it, maybe it just wasn't the time for us," he admitted. Talking with Mellie really did help him, as surprising as it was, but he wasn't going to tell Olivia about that, not just yet.

"Maybe."

There was a knock on the door, and Abby popped her head back in. Fitz couldn't believe the ten minutes had been up already. Like always whenever he was with or spoke to Olivia time flew by. He just needed one more minute, and he put up his finger to show her that, to which she nodded and closed the door.

"Looks like our times up," he said dejectedly. "I love you, Olivia."

"I love you too, Fitz," she said, and he was shocked by her reciprocation of his declaration. He already knew it was true, but she very rarely said the words aloud. Fitz smiled, happily for the first time all month, before he ended the call.

 **No this does not classify Liv being back. So youve now made it 2 chapters without her...so well done (Only 1-3 chaps left now)**

 **Like i said i do hope you liked this chapter better.**

 **Please Review :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to all who have been supporting me and reviewing, i know the last few chapters have been hard, but we're close.**

 **This is a short chapter, and i'm sorry for that, but i do hope you enjoy.**

With just two weeks to the election Fitz had been worked crazy, barely having a free moment to himself. He was glad to finally be getting that chance, even if it was just for one night. There was a conference in New York starting tomorrow evening, and he was the keynote speaker. In the last couple of weeks, he'd had a surge of energy, and he was actually excited about the election and the prospect of staying in this house for another four years. He was more than ten points up in the polls, and he thought he deserved one night to himself, even if others didn't agree.

He stood in his Chief-of-Staff's office while Cyrus and Abby tried to convince him that leaving tonight wasn't necessary and why it was a bad idea, but everything they tried to throw at him he ignored. He had already made up his mind and he was sticking to it.

"I am leaving. Tonight," Fitz said definitively, as he walked out the room. He could hear to tapping of heels coming after him.

"Sir, another night to work on your speech, could be very beneficial," he heard coming from behind him. He didn't know why Abby was making such a big deal out of this, if she wasn't Olivia's friend and colleague he would have told her to mind her own business a month ago.

"This trip has nothing to do with the campaign, you don't get to have input in what I do," he said turning to red-haired petite woman who was now only a half of dozen paces behind him.

"There's two weeks until the election, everything has to do with the campaign, sir," Abby reminded him as they came to a stop.

"We are up in the polls, there's two weeks left. How is one night away from the White House going to hurt the campaign?" He asked but didn't really expect a legitimate answer, because at this point the election was a slam dunk. Sally's campaign didn't even seem competitive anymore. "That's what I thought," Fitz said when Abby didn't respond.

Seeing Cyrus coming towards him, Fitz decided to make a quick exit before he had to deal with another tag team telling him to stay. He motioned for his Secret Service agents before they led him outside.

"He's a stubborn man, Red," Cyrus said and Abby knew the nickname wasn't a term of endearment, but because he forgot her name. The pair watched on as Fitz made his way across the lawn to Marine One, and only turned away when he was out of view.

Fitz climbed into the helicopter and the doors were pulled shut, trapping him in, and closing everything else out. "Change of plans," he informed the pilot.

…

It had been a while since Fitz had made the journey up to Vermont. But it was something that he needed. For the last month and a half, he was focussing all his time on the campaign, and what, although probably wouldn't, could be the last few months of his Presidency. He needed the fresh air, he needed an escape. He needed a night away from the White House, and a hotel room in New York didn't seem far enough away.

He hadn't been up to the Vermont house since he brought Olivia up over half a year ago. It had seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. Maybe just being in the house he could go back to that night, think of nothing but the bliss of waking up from the floor with her there. About how after that night everything seemed to start falling into place, even if it was only for a short amount of time. This was their future. The house he built for her. For them. For the family they were meant to have.

Up here he wasn't the President. Up here felt freeing. Up here he felt he could find the solace that Olivia said was helping her. And tonight that was all that he needed. One night off would get him ready for the last round of fights before the election. There was no Cyrus, no Abby, no Mellie, no White House up here, and that was what really felt freeing. As they flew into the property's airspace he could already feel a wave of relief wash over him. It was what he needed.

Fitz could see the lights on in the house as the helicopter descended on to the grass. Though he couldn't be too sure, he was certain he'd turned the lights off the last time he was here. His secret service agents told him to stay back while they investigated, but he took that as a suggestion not an order and followed them across the yard.

"Wait," he commanded, and they all came to a halt.

Through the glass panelling he saw her. He could see her reading on the sofa with headphones in her ears and a spoon hanging from her mouth. There was a carton of ice-cream on the coffee table next to her. She looked different, the time away really had changed her. Fitz thought he should turn around, get back in the helicopter and leave, let her have the time she wanted. But knowing where she was, knowing that she was so close, meant there was no way he couldn't go in and see her.

He expected her to look up when he opened the door, but her attention was glued to her book, or her music was too loud, for her to notice his presence. He cautiously stepped closer, only when she went to scoop a mouthful of ice-cream did she notice him.

"Fitz?" Olivia gasped, the spoon dropped to the floor, and she took the earbuds out. Her eyes were full of bewilderment, as if she couldn't believe she'd been caught out. "What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be the one asking the questions," he said looking down at her now swollen belly.

 **Oh Liv's got some explaining to do.**

 **So this is Olivia officially being back.  
** **Also well done to the two people who did guess she was still pregnant, Guilty Pleasures (Guest) and Jennkyle.  
** **You all have no idea how hard this was to write and keep secret, but i did it, and im so happy that we're up to here. now you can all stop hating me for killing the baby ahaha.**

 **Please Review...Would absolutely love to know your thoughts and reactions, and if you worked out what was happening.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow your response to the last chapter was UNBELIEVABLE! I told you I wasnt that mean ahah.  
Also sorry about the long time between update (esp after a cliffhanger) but I was working all week and I havent been able to say that in a VERY long time. **

"You're still pregnant?" Fitz stated. It wasn't a question because the answer was blatantly obvious. But he was so shocked over the discovery no other words came out.

"You're meant to be in New York," Olivia said before standing up, and replacing the lid back on to the ice-cream container. "Why aren't you in New York?" She asked before picking the carton up, and beginning the walk over to the kitchen. Fitz watched her rounded stomach in disbelief as she hurried passed him.

"Don't dismiss me," he said, noticing how she tried to brush his question off. Who the hell cared why he wasn't in New York? How did she even know that was where he was supposed to be? And how was she up in Vermont?

"You're not meant to be here," Olivia said opening up the freezer.

"Well looking at you, it seems like this is exactly where I'm meant to be," he said trying to bring the conversation back to the fact that she was pregnant.

Olivia felt as the cool air from the freezer door shutting rushed passed her. She wasn't ready to tell him yet, she was meant to have a few more weeks until this was all a reality again. How was she meant to tell him? She had been practicing what she was going to say when she went back to D.C., but she'd never thought she would have to tell him so soon. She'd knew he was going to be angry, she knew he would have a hard time forgiving her, and she knew he would never see it from her point of view. But what she was doing, what she did, was the right thing, for everybody.

"No, you're meant to be working on getting re-elected. And that won't happen here," Olivia replied. She hated having to lie to him, she knew that lying to him was going to be hard for both of them. And she hated hurting him. But she couldn't just think about what was best for him anymore. It wasn't just about them. Their relationship was never just about them, there was always outside influences to consider. But now she had to worry about their child and although it might be hard to believe she did what was best for their baby.

"You're not going to apologise?" Fitz asked. He wondered how she could stand right in front of him and pretend she hadn't done anything wrong. Pretend that he was the one out of place for being up here. Pretend that there wasn't a huge elephant in the room that desperately needed discussing.

"I am sorry," she said, though she knew he really didn't want an apology from her, he wanted the truth. She was trying to work her way up to telling him exactly that.

"You're sorry you did it? Or you're sorry I found out?" Fitz asked.

"You were always meant to find out. Like I said, I was coming back after the election, and I was going to tell you then. I was going to tell you everything," Olivia explained, but Fitz just rolled his eyes.

"And you expect me to just believe that? To trust everything you told me. I trusted you when you said you miscarried, and look how well that turned out. You lied to me," Fitz said. Everything she had told him in months had been a lie, she played him, and he'd been a fool to believe her.

"Yeah, well-"

"The last few months have been the most painful in my life, and I've had a bullet in the brain. How could you say you had a miscarriage, when you clearly didn't?" Fitz asked gesturing to her stomach. He was angry. He definitely had a right to be angry. What right did Olivia have to lie to him about the death of their child? What right did she have to make every day of the last three months a living hell for him? He had been in agony more days than he had not, and what was it all for?

Fitz wanted to be happy about the fact that his child was still alive, but he felt betrayed by one of the only people he truly trusted and loved. And the feelings of hurt and betrayal outweighed the joyousness he felt.

Olivia went silent, and her hand found its way to her stomach. She stayed still and slowly breathed, as if she was shutting down. They were in the middle of a conversation, how could she just stop talking, and pretend what he was saying wasn't relevant? It was so like Olivia to cut him off or dismiss what he was trying to say.

"Olivia?" Fitz almost snapped. He just wanted answers, and thought he deserved as much. "What are you doing?"

"The baby's kicking," Olivia replied softly. She'd only been feeling kicks for the last few weeks but they had already started to fall into a pattern, and right now didn't fit into what she was used to. It was as if the baby had woken up knowing Fitz was there and was demanding attention, or simply wanted to be a mediator before anything became too tense.

"Oh," Fitz said with a little bit of pride he didn't know if he was allowed to have. "Can I?" He asked, holding his hand out, just hoping Olivia would let him touch her. Olivia nodded, and Fitz stepped forward until he was in an arm's reach of her.

He tentatively put his fingers to where Olivia's hand was placed, before fully cupping her belly with his hand. He could feel the little flutter of the kicks against his palm, and his heart skipped a beat. For far too long he thought this child was gone forever, and now he was feeling the liveliness at his fingertips.

"How could you do it?" Fitz said looking up to meet Olivia's gaze. He needed to know, he needed to know how she could hide this from him, how she could deprive him of all of this. "How could you lie to me?"

Olivia didn't answer straight away. She was thinking about how to tell him. She was meant to have two more weeks. She took a deep breath before finally answering. "I found your speech, Fitz."

 **Hopefully I'll update sooner than last time and you'll find out more answers.**

 **Please Review :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. i know the last two chapters have been short, so heres a longer one for putting up with me. If this seems familiar it's because it's Liv's version of Chapter 8.**

Fitz's hand dropped from Olivia's stomach, and he took a step back, he was puzzled and a look of bewilderment flashed across his face. "What?" He asked trying to read Olivia's expression.

"My fellow Americans, I come to you tonight from this podium to tell you that I will no longer be seeking re-election," Olivia said verbatim, the words had been burned into her memory ever since she found that piece of paper in his top desk drawer.

" _Mr President, did you have a look at the campaign material I had sent to you?" Olivia asked, she was formal as there were still some aides in earshot._

" _Briefly. The flash drive is on my desk," he replied._

" _Alright, I will go get it," Olivia said standing up._

" _You sure?" Fitz asked._

" _Its fine, I have to go to the bathroom anyway," she explained in a half whisper before leaving the conference room. Olivia made her way to the Oval Office, said hello to Lauren and then pushed the office door open._

 _She made her way over to behind Fitz's desk. Looking for the USB she opened the desk drawer and riffled through the papers. Her eyes fell upon some scary words. Pulling a piece of paper out of a stack she stood reading the speech over and over. He was giving up the Presidency for her and the baby. How could he do that? Especially after how many times she had told him that that wasn't an option._

 _Olivia took a quick photo of the document, even though she would probably never forget those words. Replacing the paper back into the pile, she made her way out of the office to Fitz's secretary's desk._

" _Lauren, does the President have a press conference planned?" Olivia asked. Maybe the speech was just a fantasy. Maybe he hadn't acted on it. Maybe she still had time to convince him of what not to do._

" _One for Friday night," the secretary answered._

" _Did he give a reason?" Olivia asked, just hoping that her suspicions were wrong._

" _No," she said looking at the screen. "Is there a problem?"_

" _Thank you, Lauren," Liv replied before walking back into the Oval. Everything wasn't easy before, it was far from simple, but now, everything had changed, and not for the better._

 _Olivia opened the desk drawer again, but she didn't move, she just stared, she didn't know what to do, or how to handle it. She was so lost in thought she didn't hear the door open or even notice Fitz walk in. She heard him say something but couldn't be 100% certain of what it was._

" _What?" she asked,_

" _Because it's right there on the desk," he said pointing to a stack of papers with a USB clearly on top. Olivia looked over to where he was pointing and feigned embarrassment. Picking the memory stick up, she breathed out a laugh. She had to control herself, they were in a delicate situation right now._

" _I thought you said it was in the drawer?" Liv lied, it was better if he didn't suspect anything yet._

" _You already have pregnancy brain," Fitz laughed as he made his way over to her._

" _I do not have pregnancy brain," Liv disagreed, though maybe it would be easier if she pretended he was right, might make him less suspecting, and it gave her a reason as to why she had been in his office so long._

" _There's no shame Livvie…even Mellie had it, especially with Karen, not so much with Teddy," Fitz said holding onto her side. Olivia laughed awkwardly, she couldn't imagine Mellie with pregnancy brain. "You were good in there, I'd vote for me," Fitz said moving the conversation on. Liv forced a smile at his joke, but under the circumstances it wasn't all that funny._

" _Only as good as the candidate," she said, not taking the compliment. If she could remind him that he was the best candidate, then maybe he would rethink the ticking time bomb in his top drawer._

" _Well this candidate is very happy to have you on the team," he said placing his lips on hers._

" _We should get back, they can't really do anything without the one of us," Liv said pulling away, it was hard for her to be alone with him right now._

 _/_

 _There was a knock on the door and Olivia stood up to let Abby in. She had been walking circles around her apartment since she returned home that afternoon, but nothing had become any clearer to her. She called her friend a half hour ago, she needed someone to bounce ideas off of, and for someone to tell her she wasn't going crazy for the things she'd been thinking._

" _Usually when you call me in a frenzy I'd bring wine, but…" she trailed off, both knowing the end of the sentence. "So?" Abby asked placing her bag on the coffee table. Olivia didn't hint at much on the phone, but giving the situation she was currently in, it couldn't be all that good._

 _Olivia took a seat on the white sofa, and Abby followed suit. Liv closed her eyes before and placed her hand on her stomach before saying a word. "On Friday night, Fitz is going to stand at the podium and announce to the world that he will no longer be seeking a second term," she explained, and as each word came out her mouth Abby's eyes bulged in confusion._

" _When did he tell you?" Abby asked._

" _He didn't. He doesn't know I know. And we're going to need to keep it that way," Liv said, she wasn't sure how she was going to do that, but she was determined to figure it out._

" _What do you mean? How'd you find out?" Abby asked again, her head was filled with a million questions, she could only imagine how Olivia was feeling about all this._

" _I found his speech today, it said he was conceding for unforeseen family matters, and he would appreciate privacy at this difficult time," she said remembering a second part of the speech. "He's giving up for me and the baby. I don't want that. I've told him countless times I didn't want that. There's no way I'm letting him go up there and read those words to the nation. Not if I can stop it," Liv finished._

" _Can you stop it?" Friday was still a few days away, but Abby didn't think it would be that easy to change the President's mind, not if he was this far down the rabbit-hole. Abby knew her friend was in an impossible situation, and she didn't envy her in the slightest. But that being said Abby would help Liv with anything she needed, and she meant anything._

 _Olivia looked away, she'd thought of something, but it involved lying to him, and she knew it would hurt him beyond anything. But what other way was there? Liv hated lying to Fitz, ever since she had found out she was pregnant she had tried really hard not to keep anything secret from him. She thought they were on the same page when it came to sharing things between them. But if he couldn't tell her something as important as giving up the Presidency, then maybe they weren't as far along as she thought they had become._

 _She'd tried to dabble with the idea of him leaving the White House and them moving away to finally start their life together, and although it was simple and would be ideal, it wouldn't be right. She didn't care if Fitz wasn't the President. But not winning the election and conceding before the votes had been counted were not the same thing._

" _You could still get an abortion, no baby no problem," Abby said, she knew it wasn't the best solution but it did have a way of working everything out._

" _No, I couldn't do that," Liv said shaking her head and holding her stomach, it wasn't that she was against it, it was that she had grown attached to the baby growing inside her. And she knew if Fitz ever found out the truth he would never forgive her. An abortion wasn't a solution, it was just another complication. The only way she was losing this child was by natural causes. And then it hit her. "I think I know what I have to do."_

"And you thought that was enough of a reason to deceive me for three months? You could have talked to me when you found it," Fitz said still a little in shock over everything he had found out since landing in Vermont.

"What? Like when you talked to me? Did you do that before writing your first draft? Or was that after you planned the press conference?" She argued back

"That press conference could have been about anything. You couldn't have known what I was going to actually end up saying up there," Fitz said in rebuttal.

"What were you going to say, Fitz?" Oliva asked, though she was completely certain that she was right, and could tell he was trying to get himself out of the grave he had dug. Fitz just stared on at her. He didn't have an answer. "Because it wasn't just a coincidence that after you thought I miscarried the press conference was no longer in your calendar. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you weren't going to stand up at the podium and throw away everything we've worked for. Tell me," Liv requested, almost pleading. There was nothing she wanted more then to be wrong, but she knew that in this situation she wasn't.

"It doesn't matter now," he said. She was right. He was going to go up there and concede. He had thought losing the baby was karma for the choice he had made and cancelled the press conference as soon as he woke up the next morning. Little did he know he was right.

"Doesn't matter? As a citizen of this country, your campaign manager and your girlfriend, I completely disagree. It matters," she replied.

"I made a decision-" Fitz began, but got cut off before he could continue any further on.

"And I made mine."

 _Olivia and Abby stood in the longue room. It had taken them a few days to get to this point. Liv hoped she wouldn't have to make this call. She'd been hoping Fitz would bring up what the speech with her, but he never did. Olivia had steered the conversation in that direction multiple times since she found out, so he definitely had the opportunity to discuss it with her. But time was running out. He was going to stand behind the White House podium tomorrow night and send shockwaves throughout the world._

" _Are you sure you want to do this?" Abby asked, she was there for moral support, and not to mention being an important piece of Liv's plan._

" _No, but it's the only way," Liv said looking down at her phone. She knew Fitz was in meetings all night, he had been for the past couple of nights, which, Olivia guessed, was why the press conference was going to be on Friday night and not any sooner. Liv knew she had to leave him a message, if she actually had to talk to him, she would have backed out and would have lost all control._

 _She dialled the number before hitting the call button. She nervously waited at each ring, and although she knew he shouldn't pick up, she couldn't help thinking he might. Finally after what felt like over twenty rings, the recorded voice came on to say leave a message after the tone._

" _Fitz," Olivia started and she made her voice wobble. "Something doesn't feel right," she continued, and she hoped her words and tone would convey what she wanted them to. "Abby's taking me to my doctor," her voice was shaky mostly because of the nerves and the guilt she harboured. "I'll let you know how it goes," she finished before ending the call. It was done. The first part of the plan was complete and she knew it would start the ball rolling._

Fitz needed to sit down, even though he had spent the last couple of hours sitting in a helicopter he was beyond exhausted. Finding out the woman you loved had spent a quarter of a year lying to you, and wrongfully mourning the death of your child would have that effect on anyone. Liv followed Fitz out of the kitchen and took a seat on the edge of the sofa that she had been sitting on before Fitz had startled her.

Normally she would have been heading off to bed soon, but right now sleep was the farthest thing from her mind. They had a thousand things that needed to be discussed and that needed to be done sooner rather than later.

 **I hope you enjoyed (and i hope FFN didnt stuff up the italics too much-ive notice it does that sometimes, so apologies if it did and was a little confusing.)**

 **Please review and let me know what you think. Who do you think is more in the wrong?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yay Scandal's back...sure it wasnt fantastic (cause ew olake) but we get our people back on our screens, so YAY!**

 **Anyway thank you for all that reviewing, i keep meaning to message everyone who is reviewing, but i'm a terrible person (with limited internet).**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

"Now that I know, what's stopping me from giving up again?" Fitz said after a few moments of silence. Really what was stopping him? Olivia couldn't fake another miscarriage, and hide out in Vermont twice. And it was as if it was fate that he found out. If it had gone Olivia's way he wouldn't have known she was still pregnant until after the votes had been counted and the results were in.

Olivia turned to face him, her mouth hung open. "You can't be serious," she said. She had not gone through the last three months for nothing.

"I am. It's my decision," he replied. He was dead serious. The White House seemed like a joke when he imagined living in this house with her and the baby.

"You're right, it is. But don't pretend you don't want to be the President. If you really didn't, you wouldn't have cancelled your press conference, you would have rewrote your speech and you would have continued to concede the election," Liv said, she knew this to be true as soon as she called Lauren to see if the press conference Fitz had planned was still going ahead.

"That was when I thought you'd lost the baby," Fitz argued. He changed his mind about the Presidency because what else did he have. "Our child deserves a real family. Deserves a father who is able to be there and doesn't have to hide under the cloak of the night to be able to parent it," he added.

"But conceding, that isn't the right way to go about getting to that place. It's not even the best way. It's the easiest. And we've never been easy. So yes, taking the easy option would be wonderful, different, and a nice change of pace for us, but you're not picking the easy option for me or the baby, you're picking it for you. And unfortunately you don't just get to think about yourself in this decision," she told him. If he had a regular job, and they were regular people the choice would be a no brainer, but they weren't regular, they weren't ordinary, and his job affected more than just the three of them.

"What's so wrong with easy?" They been through enough hard times to span two lifetimes, maybe they deserved to be able to think about themselves for a change.

"Fitz, we get a rare opportunity to choose the world our child is brought into. Do you want the 'easy' one where our leader is a bible beating, verse preaching, extreme right-winged republican, who would no doubt take the rights of the minorities away and send our society back generations? Or the 'right' one where you get to continue to affect policy and change, and create the best world for not only us, but the whole country, to live in. I know what I would pick. I'm all for having the first female President, frankly it's time, but I want the best candidate, and that's not Sally Langston," she said, and all Fitz could do was listen to her words. She made sense, she always made sense. Just once he wished he didn't see things from her side. Fitz could tell Olivia was right, but he wanted to live in the world where he and Liv could be together, without it coming at a huge price.

"It's my choice," he said again.

"If you choose to give up, I won't respect you," Liv said very matter of fact. Fitz was taken aback. He thought she didn't care if he was President or not, but he guessed he was wrong. Did she only want him for his power?

"Excuse me?" He wanted to make sure he heard her right.

"You still want to be President. And I feel that in a few years' time, you'll hate yourself for giving up your opportunity for a second term and you'll come to resent me and the baby for making you have to decide. And that is too much pressure for me, and that would be unjust to put that on a child," Liv explained.

"I wouldn't-" Fitz began but Olivia cut him off.

"You don't know that, you can't know that. You'd always wonder if you would have won, and how things would have been different if you did, and you'd constantly think about everything you wanted to change but didn't get a chance too. I don't want that hanging over my head. And I can guarantee no child would want that either," she continued. She was thinking about their future, he was thinking about their present.

Fitz went silent. He understood Olivia's fears, and there was no way he could assure her that what she was worried about wouldn't come true. Sure he would fight like hell to be completely satisfied with the life they would have together, but he could see those thoughts creeping in. Obviously not straight away. But who would know, in five, ten years how he'd feel. "I just want to be with you. In the White House, or in this house. I don't care where," he said taking Olivia's hand in his. He wasn't sure if he was still mad at her or not. And he didn't know if he wanted to be. He wanted to move on from the pain the last three months had caused him, and focus on anything but that.

Olivia smiled that all knowing smile, as if she knew something Fitz didn't. "What do you think I've been doing up here?" She asked. Fitz had no idea, he hadn't had a chance to think about it. Even when he thought she had just left D.C. to get away, he couldn't picture what she'd been doing with all her free time. "Aside from continuing to run your campaign, I've been trying to work out just that. How we can be together, living in the White House, if you do win," she added. Most days since she'd arrived she'd paced around the living room, trying to work out the best way for it to happen.

"What?" Fitz asked confused. Though he couldn't think of a better use of free time. He was excited to hear what she had come up with.

"Obviously it won't be easy, and at the moment it's just a plan. We'll have to wait until after the election, maybe after the inauguration. You'd probably come out as a dog in the press, and neither one of us will come out smelling like a rose, and maybe that's how we can convince Mellie to go along with it. But once we do come out, you wouldn't have done anything wrong to warrant impeachment. You ran on your merit as a leader and not your family values so nothing you've said in your campaign would be a lie, so although the press and the public would be angry, we'd be able to handle it. And if everything works out, by time the baby is born we would be living in the White House as an open couple," Olivia explained, she had watched as Fitz nodded along, and could see he thought it was a good idea.

"It could work," he said, of course something could go haywire, but he was sure she had alternate plans for anything that would come up.

"And not being in D.C. means we've had three extra months of being able to hide the pregnancy from other people. So whatever story we decide to tell on my return, only Cy, Abby, you and me, would know the real story," Liv said trying to spin her leaving in a better light than it had been.

Fitz looked at her nervously. He didn't know whether he should tell her that that wasn't actually the case or not. She had hidden enough stuff from him in the last few months, maybe he could hide this. But Liv would find out, she was probably reading his face right now and knew he was hiding something. "That's not exactly true," he said, and a look of confusion flashed across Liv's face. "Mellie knows," he said and instantly heard Liv groan.

"How?" she sighed. Mellie knowing changed everything. Most of the plans she had made were reliant on Mellie not knowing for as long as possible, especially until after the election.

"I was watching the ultrasound one night and she walked in and saw me," Fitz explained. "I had to tell her everything before her screams of anger alerted the whole world," he continued. He wasn't sure if he should tell Liv that Mellie knowing had really helped him with everything that had gone on, or really hadn't gone on.

Olivia laid her head in her hands and let out a long moan. She wanted this day to be over. She was tired and she could hear the bed calling for her. Standing up from the couch she looked down at Fitz. "I'm going to sleep," she informed him, and her face read 'I've had enough'.

Fitz thought that was a good idea until he remembered that the spare rooms most likely didn't have beds in them. There was only two options the couch or in the bed with Olivia, which he wasn't totally against but wouldn't be sure if she felt the same. "Okay. But I assume there's still only the one bed?" He could see a few of Liv's touches around the place, but couldn't see her purchasing an extra bed high on her to-do list.

Liv nodded understanding his train of thought. "Sofa's for conceders," she said, before walking down the hallway. He was right, it was his choice if he continued to run or not, but that didn't mean she couldn't give him one last push.

 **Ohhh what will Fitz pick ahaha.**

 **Again thanks for reading**

 **And Please Review :D**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys, nothing to really say up here, but I wrote another oneshot- its called 'The Story of Us' and its post 509/10 and possibly 511 but I wrote it before it aired so it kinda still fits. so it be really cool if you checked it out-if you havent already- and told me what you think.**

 **Anyway enjoy!**

Fitz made up a bed for him on the sofa. He didn't even know the last time he had slept on the couch, or even if ever had. He took a seat and rested his head in his hands. He could still hear Olivia from the next room. He was trying to digest the last couple of hours of his life. Everything had changed. He was still going to be a father, and he and Olivia were still going to have a child together. But she'd lied to him, and that was not something that would be easy to forgive. But he wanted to. God did he want to.

He was glad he found out about the pregnancy now, and not in a few weeks like Olivia had planned. This way he got to decide his future and not have it forced upon him. But what did he want? He could imagine living in this house with Liv and the baby. That could just be a few months away. He could see their child taking their first steps in front of the fire place, or even across the huge yard they would have. He could see Olivia and himself cooking dinner in the kitchen together, even though they both weren't the best at cooking. He could picture putting the baby to bed, and then falling asleep with Olivia on the couch after an exhausting day of chasing after their kid.

But was Olivia right? Should they be allowed to sacrifice the future of the country for their happiness? What would life be like if Sally was at the helm of the country? Sure, one of the only things that would change in his life would be his address and his happiness. But what about the rest of the population? What about the people who had voted for him and planned to vote for him? Their lives could become considerably different and not in a good way.

But what about his child's life? That was what he really had to consider. It was all well and good doing what was best for the country, but not if it came at the expense of the kid. A baby born into the White House would be news and that child would never have a regular life, but would that really be detrimental to the child? It wasn't as if this baby would be the first to be born into the White House, in fact it wouldn't even be the first in this administration. The only difference between this kid and Teddy would be that the child's paternity would be headline news for years.

He had so many things to consider. Finding the switch he turned off the light and felt his was back to the sofa. Pulling the covers over him, Fitz closed his eyes, and tried to work through the impossible decision ahead of him.

…

Olivia couldn't sleep, she had been trying for over an hour, but thoughts kept spinning around in her head. The last time she and Fitz had been in the same place at night, had been when she told Fitz about losing the baby. She really did want to relive it. She knew that night would have been hard for him, but it was also hard for her, they just had different views on the situation.

" _Are you ready for this?" Abby asked after they heard the knock on the door. Olivia nodded, she wasn't ready, but she had to be. Abby left the room to let the President inside. Liv crumpled up into the blankets as she listened to the conversation down the hallway. She felt empty. She'd felt like that since she'd found his speech. Her stomached turned and she could feel her jaw start to quiver, all while her mouth tasted like it was metallic. Tears came rushing to her eyes. Usually she would blink them back, but she needed them. She had to pretend she lost the baby, which was surprisingly easier than she first thought. All she had to do was think about losing the dream they both held, because right now it felt like she had lost it._

 _She rose at the sound of Fitz's voice, he was cautious, not wanting to startle her. He quickly made his way around the bed and pulled her into his arms. She buried her head into his chest, not wanting to look at his face, knowing it would make it all the more difficult. She could feel little pats on her head, as he stroked her hair. More tears fell from her eyes, she hated doing this to him. He didn't even know what she was going to say but he was already comforting her, assured he was reading the situation right. He was a good man, and she knew in this moment she was breaking his heart._

" _It's okay, we're going to be okay," he said, and that sent her over the edge. Olivia thought about turning back, but it was too late. There was no way she could explain the tableau she had created._

 _Her throat felt warm and she pulled away from his hold and finally looked at him. She could see the pain in his eyes. The words caught in her throat, knowing that what was going to come out of her mouth would be the final blow. "They couldn't find a heartbeat,"_ _she looked away, not wanting to see the pain she was creating. She used those particular words. It wasn't a complete lie that way. They couldn't find a heartbeat because she hadn't gone to anybody to look. Even though what she was saying was the truth, it didn't excuse what she was doing._

 _Fitz wrapped his arms around Olivia tighter than he did before, though she didn't deserve it, she felt sick, she didn't deserve this man, not right now. His hands landed on her stomach. She knew the pain she was making was just temporary but that didn't make her feel better. And it shouldn't of. What she was doing was terrible, and she knew that._

 _Olivia laid her hands on top of Fitz's, interlocking her fingers with his as she did, knowing he would need the comforting more than herself. It was like they were breaking up. Obviously they weren't, but that's what it felt like. She knew she was going to need to spend the next few months away from him, and knowing it wouldn't be like it had been until after the election was what she was losing. She had to keep reminding herself that she was doing the right thing, but right now, in this moment, it did not feel that way. She couldn't control herself and curled up back into him._

 _Suddenly the room became pitch black, aside from the street lamps outside. Fitz had turned off the bedside lamp, and then pulled the covers up over both of them. She couldn't leave his hold, and she didn't want to._

Olivia wiped the tears from her eyes, she hated herself more than she thought she would in that moment. No matter how much she thought she was doing the right thing she knew that wasn't as easy as she made it out to be. It was why she could barely see him in that first week. She wanted to blame it on the hormones, but they were probably on a small chunk of what she had been feeling.

She wanted Fitz to walk in, she was actually surprised he hadn't already. Did that really mean he was going to concede the presidency? Or maybe he didn't want to be with her anymore. She could understand that. She didn't want it, but she was no longer in the position to get what she wanted. She had hurt him, if the situation was reversed she wouldn't know how long it would take to forgive the terrible things she had done.

She had tried to be there for him. They had had three times more campaign meetings than was necessary, just so she had a reason to be able to see him often, and make sure he wasn't spiralling in the loss. Maybe she could have been there more, but she was trying to make the 'miscarriage' believable.

The night was silent, except for the sound of faint wind in the distance. The house was eerily quiet, it reminded her of her first night in the house all alone, like she wasn't meant to be there. But Fitz had the house built for her, so she concluded that she was meant to be there, but so was he.

Olivia was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a sound coming down the hall, she hoped it was Fitz. She hoped he was going to come into the room and tell him what she wanted to hear. She'd been hoping for that ever since she closed the door and got changed.

"Olivia?" Fitz whispered as he pushed the door to the bedroom open. He must have thought she was asleep, but she sat right up. She wondered if he had an answer. He walked further into the room and came to the empty side of the bed. He didn't wait for Olivia to say anything, he just pulled the covers up over him and laid down next to her.

Olivia was puzzled, and her eyebrows furrowed into one and other. Did this mean what she thought it did? "So?" She asked placing a hand on her stomach. Was he picking the White House or this house?

"You don't get to tell me where I sleep in my own house. You don't get to choose if I run for President. You don't get to choose if I give it all up for you and the baby. You don't get to make the final decision in this relationship. Not anymore," Fitz said sternly, the hour out on the couch had helped him come to this conclusion. "We are in this together. And aside from my running, we will make the decisions together. That's how parenting works," Fitz continued, and Olivia couldn't say anything to the contrary. It was what she wanted. She wanted to make the decisions together, she'd wanted that all along, but when he started making them on his own, so did she.

"Okay, but what are you going to do?" She asked, she needed to know his answer, she'd been hanging on waiting for him to say whether he was conceding or not since she'd left the living room, and even more so when he walked in just now.

"Isn't it obvious?" He said as he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. Olivia smiled at the realisation of what he was planning, and laid back down with him. They had a lot that needed to be discussed, but they could always do that tomorrow. Right now she was tired and more than ready to get some well needed shut eye.

 **Thanks for reading, hope you liked, would love to know what you thought.**

 **Please Review :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for you continuous support after every chapter, you have no idea how much it means to me. I love each and everyone of you. So from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for reviewing, fav-ing, following and reading this story.**

 **So this week I start my final year of my degree at University (Yay) which means I wont be as free to write, but love writing this story so much, so i hope i'll be able to continue to update at the speed I have been. But if i don't please be understanding, especially in a few weeks when first assignments will start being due.**

 **Enjoy :)**

Fitz woke as the sun beamed in from the skylight and the sunlight hit his eyes at just the wrong angle. Though he was used to waking early, he was in a dream he didn't want to wake from. His arm was stretched out away from him, and there was a warm body pressed up against him. He opened his eyes to see the visions in his sleep were not just dreams but his reality. A smile grew across his face as he rubbed circles around Olivia's belly. He wondered if the baby would kick for him, like it did last night.

Fitz watched Olivia as her breath raised her chest up and down. He very rarely had the chance to watch her sleep, so he was relishing in that now. Her fluttered under her eyelids, and her mouth hung slightly open to let the air in and out. Fitz could stay like this forever, if it was up to him he would never move from this position again, but it could prove a little difficult to run the country from a bed in Vermont.

He watched as Olivia's eyes opened to let the new day in. "Good morning," Fitz said before placing his lips on the top of Liv's head. He watched as she rolled over to face him, the only thing now separating them was her pregnant stomach.

"Morning," she said happily. It was easy to be happy in the morning when you were facing the love of your life and the father of your unborn child.

They both didn't say anything else. Fitz just wanted to look at her, and not in the cover of darkness. It had been so long since they were able to be like this, in fact he couldn't even remember the last time they were able to lie so silently without treat of intruders. "Come back with me," Fitz said, he'd been thinking it ever since last night, and now he was saying it.

"Hold that thought," Liv said as she held a finger up and turned back over, and slowly sat up. Fitz looked on confused as Liv walked to the door. He probably should have said something to stop her, but it wasn't as if she could go too far before they had the conversation.

Fitz decided to stand up and make the bed, knowing that Liv would be back sooner or later. He wanted her to come back home with him, even though he still had to go to New York to make a speech. He wanted Liv in the wings like she normally was, though he knew she would not go for that just yet.

"Sorry," Liv said walking back into the room as Fitz threw a pillow into place. "The baby had been pushing up against my bladder," she added, slightly embarrassed though she knew she had no reason to be.

Fitz nodded understanding her spontaneous run out the room. He smiled, if there was ever a reason to be denied an answer, it was this. "It's okay," he replied stepping away from the bed. "So? Come home with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, not yet," she answered and Fitz's face dropped.

"Why not?" He asked, extremely curious to know the answer.

"Why not? Because it's two weeks until the election, and if I show up in D.C. with a belly full of Baby Grant, Mellie will never stand by you and you need her to be re-elected. And the fact that you said that she knows about the pregnancy means she won't believe that it's not yours, not that she'd believe it even if it were true. If I stay here, you're free to continue to run how you have been," Olivia tried to explain.

"I don't care," Fitz said. He wanted Olivia. He wanted the Presidency too, but he wanted Liv above that.

"Fitz, staying here wouldn't just be about the election," Olivia added, and his eyebrows furrowed not understanding what she meant.

"What do you mean?" He asked, needing to know the answer.

"I mean, that if I went back I wouldn't be free like I am here, I would have to hide. Yes, mostly from Mellie, but also from the other people who would be able to put two and two together. I would have to stay in my apartment until we were truly in the clear. Here, I can go to the next town over, and no one knows who I am. In D.C. I am Olivia Pope. I'm the President's mistress. Your cliché other family. Your dirty little secret. And I can handle that, I've handled that for years, but I don't want to, not yet, not until I absolutely have to," she explained, and although Fitz understood where she was coming from, he didn't like it. He didn't want to be even a street away from her, let alone a five hundred miles from her.

"Liv-" Fitz tried to begin, but was cut off.

"What's two more weeks, really? It's not that long. You'll be completely busy with the campaign, you won't even notice the time until it over," she tried to coax him. Olivia walked over to the bed, not wanting to stand anymore, and sat at the foot.

Fitz quickly sat by her side. Taking her hand in his, he made circles with his thumb. "Livvie, I don't want to do this if you're not by my side, I can't do this if you're not by my side. I need you. I need you to come home," he said, as he looked directly into her eyes.

"But that's what I'm saying, I won't be able to be by your side. Not physically anyway. Only metaphorically, and I would do just as good a job here, as I would there. My presence would be a problem. If I stay here, it wouldn't be," Olivia explained. She hated that she was always the problem. Whenever there was a potentially scandalous threat to his presidency it was more often than not her, or her doing. She looked forward to a day when that was no longer the case. But she knew that day was either in 2 weeks or four years.

"How many times do I have to say 'I don't care' before you believe me?" Fitz asked as he cupped Liv's cheek with his hand. He never said anything to the contrary, so why did she always have a hard time believing him.

"You might not care, but I do," she said. She completely understood that he didn't care if the world found out about them together, and she never doubted that he would give everything up just so they could be free to be out in the open, it was why they were in Vermont right now.

"Liv, just come back to D.C. with me, please," Fitz pleaded, it wouldn't be the last time he would ask. He would continue to plague her with that request, until either she accepted or until Marine One was ready to take off.

Olivia took Fitz's hand from her cheek and brought it down to her stomach. "I don't even know if I can fly," she was considering going back, though she knew staying was the easier choice. She missed D.C. and now that he knew about the baby there was no real point hiding out here anymore, aside from everything she had already tried to explain.

"It's the safest helicopter in the world, and we would be able to stop whenever you felt you needed to. But I can understand your concern. Do you have a doctor you've been seeing since you left?" Fitz asked.

"Of course I do," Liv said defensively, she wasn't stupid enough to move away from everything and everyone she knew and not have something as important as a new obstetrician sorted out.

"Couldn't you call them to get the all clear?" He guessed he shouldn't push her to come back until she knew for sure that I would actually be safe. But aside from a helicopter there were other ways to get back to D.C. they would just take a little longer, and he wouldn't be able to be with her.

"I could," Liv said, but didn't move. "What time do you have to leave?" She asked, she couldn't imagine that he'd be able to stay too much longer.

Fitz looked down at his watch, and growled in disgust at the time. "Soon," he said unhappily.

"Do you have time for breakfast? Because I am starving," Liv said, standing up from the bed.

…

Olivia watched on as Marine One lifted into the air and flew away into the distance. She still couldn't believe that the last half a day happened. Fitz knew about the baby, and had thrown away his anger about the whole situation and now wanted her to come back to D.C. She still hadn't made up her mind about returning or not but the decision was slowly becoming one sided.

Fitz said he would be back. And whatever she decided, he would respect that. Sure they didn't make the decision together, but they did discuss it. She heard his side, and he heard hers, and he knew that in this situation that was all he could ask of her.

Liv knew she should call her obstetrician, there was no point even trying to come to a conclusion, if it turned out that flying wasn't an option, but before she made that call there was someone else she wanted to call.

"Liv?" Abby answered. "Anything new?"

"He found out," Liv said.

"He won't find," Abby replied, obviously not hearing what Olivia said clearly. "He's in New York, and he has no idea. The plan is working, you have nothing to worry about. Don't stress, just take the next two weeks and prepare for when he does find out," she continued.

"No, Abby, he found out. He knows," she explained.

"What?" Abby asked dumbfounded. "I swear Liv, I didn't tell him where you are. I don't even know where you are. And I certainly didn't tell him you're still pregnant," she added, speaking faster than she thought possible, but Liv had to know, she had to know that she wasn't responsible for this. "How'd he find out?"

"He found me," Liv answered.

"You're in New York?" Abby asked, of all the places she thought Olivia Pope would end up, she didn't even consider the city that was an hour flight away, she expected a small town in the middle of nowhere, where no one would recognise her.

"No, but then neither was he, and before you freak out, he's there now, or really on his way there now," Liv said.

"I knew we shouldn't have let him go last night, but he wasn't going to take no for answer, I tried to stop him, Liv, I really tried," Abby hoped her friend would understand, she felt as if she was responsible for anything that could have happened.

"It's not your fault. And it's for the best that he find out now anyway," Liv replied.

"What's going to happen?"

"He wants me to come back, but I don't know if I should or not," Liv answered.

"Well I want you back. And if you did, we'll make it work, we'll come up with a new plan, something that will work for everybody. But it doesn't matter what I want, and it doesn't really matter what he wants. What do you want?"

"I want what I've always wanted. I want him to win the election, without being hindered by me. I want things to be easier and less complicated. But then again, I want to come home. I don't want to be alone anymore. I want a lot of things. But we don't always get what we want," Liv said. She had been trying to get that point into Fitz's mind for a very long time, but it hadn't ever stuck.

Liv hoped that talking to her friend and best confidant would give her some answers, but it just gave her more questions. It was a balancing act. Neither option was optimal, and there were downsides to each choice. The easiest option wasn't always the best option, and staying in Vermont was definitely the easiest choice.

…

Fitz wasn't gone for long, he strategically spent as little of time in New York as was possible. He gave his speech, shook a few hands, had a dozen photo ops and then was back on the copter. All had fit together seamlessly. He'd called Cyrus to tell him that he had a few meetings he needed to take while there, and Cyrus brought the lies easily, not even beginning to guess the reality of the situation.

He walked across the yard to the house, still not truly believing how different things were when he last made this walk. Marine One stayed in place, Fitz knew he couldn't be there long. His plan could keep Cyrus off for only a short while. He needed Liv's answer. If she was staying or if she was coming with him.

He found Liv on the sofa watching the flightless helicopter. "Did you make a choice?" He asked, only hoping that she had and that she had come to the right decision.

"I have."

 **Will Liv stay or will she go?**

 **What do you think?**

 **Please Review :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for being understanding about my university workload (though its only week 1 so i found time to update...Also dont want to brag but im already behind in my work ahah)**

 **So I received a lot of mixed feelings about if Liv should stay in Vermont or not, and if it was overwhelmingly leaning to one side i would have changed it, but it was literally 50/50 on what she should do, so i decided to do what i had planned.**

 **This is half filler half not filler so its a little shorter than previous chapters but i do hope you enjoy :)**

As the helicopter flew back into D.C. airspace, Fitz looked out to the Potomac. He loved this view, it was something he would never get used to. He turned his head back and looked at the empty seat beside him. He wished that Liv could be by his side. There was really nothing he wanted more than to land on the South Lawn and be able to walk across with her, but he understood why that couldn't happen.

Cyrus waited for Fitz as Marine One landed on the grass. "Mr President, I'm sure you had a productive trip," he said loudly as he tried to be heard over the helicopter blades.

"Very much so," Fitz said. He wondered if he should let Cy back in on Olivia's pregnancy, but he thought against that. He'd find out sooner or later, and he was too over the moon to listen to a Cyrus lecture about how they would be the Republic's downfall.

"And those meetings today, what were they about?" Cyrus asked, Fitz didn't really have an answer, he'd ended the call earlier before he had to complete the excuse.

"Need to know, Cy, need to know," Fitz said ambiguously. Though he could almost be telling the truth about that, his return to Vermont was information that only a select few needed to know, and Cyrus did not make that list.

"Well whatever they were about, I'm sure they were very productive," Cyrus said, though he couldn't put his finger on it he knew the President was not giving him the whole story. Though he hated not being in the know, sometimes it was the easiest thing to do.

"That they were," Fitz said as they walked into the White House. Fitz quickened his pace, trying to get to his office as quickly as possible.

"Well we have a lot to discuss," Cyrus said as Fitz opened the door to the Oval.

"And we will," Fitz said cutting him off. "But right now I'd like a moment alone," Fitz said gesturing to his Chief of Staff to leave his office.

"Yes, sir," Cyrus answered reluctantly and then turned to leave the room. Fitz waited until the door was closed before pulling out his cell phone.

"Hi," he smiled after dialling Olivia's number and waiting for her to answer.

"Take it you're back at the White House," she said as she answered.

"Just got into the Oval," he replied. "I miss you," he said taking a seat behind his desk.

"It hasn't been that long since you last saw me," Liv laughed as she moved her cell across to her other ear.

"It doesn't matter if it's been twenty minutes or two weeks, whenever I'm not with you, I miss you," Fitz said truthfully and Liv smiled silently into the phone. Her love for this man only grew.

"Same, the last two months weren't just hell for you," she said, though she wasn't sure she should bring it up. It was definitely something they both wanted to forget about.

"Then we should be glad, we never have to go through that again," he replied.

" _My doctor says I should be fine to fly for now, another month and she would be against it," Liv explained and she watched the grin on Fitz's face grow to an almost unseen size. "And although everything I was saying before still stands, I'll come home," she finished as she placed her hands on her stomach._

" _You're sure?" He asked though he hoped like hell she wouldn't take it back._

" _I've definitely been surer about things before, but yeah, I am," she answered as she cautiously nodded her head. It wasn't too late to change her mind, but she hadn't stopped thinking about what to do since Fitz left, and it was only when she started packing her bag did she realise she had made her decision._

" _Good," he said, and again couldn't hide his smile. He stepped forward and placed his hands on her belly, and then placed his lips on hers. "Then we should get you packed," he said taking a hand off her stomach and intertwined his fingers with hers to lead her to their bedroom._

" _I'm already am," she said, after not following him. Fitz turned back and Olivia pointed down to her bag that was next to the lounge. "I'm sure I've forgotten something, though," she added._

" _Doesn't matter, we'll be back one day," he said optimistically. But it was true. One day they would move into this house and be able to live their happily ever after._

 _/_

 _After a few hours in the air, they landed at the hanger to drop Olivia off. There was no chance of landing at the White House with Olivia in tow, and even if there was Olivia would not allow it. She wouldn't be able to hide out from Mellie if they literally landed into her backyard. Fitz had had it all planned. A driver would be waiting to take Olivia back to her apartment and then he would fly back to the White House as if nothing was different._

 _An agent opened the helicopter from the outside and Fitz hopped out while Olivia slid across, taking Fitz's hand for leverage as she stepped down to the ground. Fitz wanted to walk her to the car and get in himself, but he needed to get back to the White House, so an agent would have to lead her across the lot instead._

" _I'll call you when I'm free," he said still holding on to her hand. He didn't want to let her go. She had been out of his life for far too long recently and he was so glad that she was back and that their baby was still alive._

 _Olivia looked around to see if she could see anything out of the ordinary, but it was starting to get dark and there wasn't much to see. Placing her free hand on his cheek, her hand snaked around to sit on the boundary of his hair and neck. Liv pulled him down so their lips could meet. Sure there was a chance that someone could see but surprisingly she didn't care, and of course neither did Fitz._

" _I should go," Liv said as they pulled away from each other, all Fitz could do was nod. It wasn't what he wanted but he had already gotten more in the last 24 hours than he thought possible so he didn't want to push it._

 _Olivia went over to the agent and they began the walk to the car. "Liv," he called out, and she turned around to see what he wanted. "Thank you for coming home."_

"You get back to your apartment okay?" Fitz asked.

"Well this might surprise you, but a helicopter to the South Lawn is considerably faster than a town car to my apartment in peak hour," Liv answered. She was still sitting in the back of the car that Fitz had organised for her.

"How far away are you?" He asked.

"Ten minute maybe," she answered. Though the windows were tinted she could see familiar buildings outside, which told her exactly where she was.

"Good, because I want you well situated before tomorrow night," Fitz said.

"Tomorrow night?" Olivia asked slightly confused.

"I'm coming over," he replied.

"Fitz."

"I don't care what you say Liv, I'm not letting it go more than a day without seeing you," he explained, and Liv was about to protest, when she realised that she really did want him to come over and it wasn't as if he hadn't done it nearly a hundred times in the past. "No arguments?" he said a little surprised, he was sure Liv would have something more to say about his plans. "Good, I'll be over around ten."

 **Are you glad she came back, or do you think she made a really bad decision in coming back?**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Please Review :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**So I know i normally update Sundays but I was working ALL weekend and was totally beat by time i got home last night. But today was a Public Holiday where I live so I had some time today to be able to write.**

 **This chapter is a fluffy filler as i feel you guys deserve some happiness at the moment cause I've put you through a lot. So no cliff hangers not twist, nothing like that. and if you think I've lied to you then you can shank me in a review ahah.**

 **Also a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed last chapter. WOW! You guys are amazing.**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

Olivia heard a knock on the door and looked down to her wrist to see it was five minutes to ten. She smiled to herself. He was early. She walked over to the door and opened up the peephole. There he stood, three agents by his side. Fitz's eyes beamed as they caught a small glance of Olivia. Olivia quickly worked each lock before opening the door to let him in. He glided into the apartment and the agents turned in their spot and stayed where they were.

Fitz placed both hands on Liv's stomach and his lips on hers. The kiss was tender and sweet, as if he was greeting her like he'd just gotten home from work. "Hi," he greeted as their lips parted. His hands stayed on her stomach though, because she wasn't the only person he was saying 'hello' to.

"Hi," she replied happily, and glad that she was no longer alone in the apartment. And although it had only been a day since she'd been back and made the decision to lock herself up in her home, she was already get a little antsy to leave. But it was just for two weeks and she knew that two weeks could fly by and she desperately hoped they would.

All Fitz wanted all day was to make his way over to Olivia's apartment, and he hated waiting for it to be late enough to not arise any questions about his whereabouts. Though his day was mostly filled with campaign matters, the day did drag on. Every phone call felt like it took an hour, instead of the more probable five to ten minutes that it would have actually taken. "How was your first day back?" He asked.

Liv didn't know if she should be honest or not. The day was tolerable but it definitely wasn't what she was used to, well not while she was in D.C. anyway. "Abby came over to check up on me, and we had Gettysburger for lunch while we discussed OPA business. She'd restocked my refrigerator yesterday when I told her I was coming back, but I was craving some Freedom Fries," she explained. It was the truth, she just didn't mention the other ten hours of the day where she felt like a prisoner in her own place. But she was glad he was here now, because she'd be able to forget all about that while he was.

Fitz led Olivia over to the sofa and she sat between his legs and used him as back support. After a long day Fitz was glad he got to have her in his hold. Nothing made a particularly difficult day bearable than having Liv with him.

They sat in comfortable silence. They played with each other's fingers as they continually interlocked. They were sitting like that for a long time when Fitz decided to voice his thoughts. "What do you think it is?" He asked, his hand was draped across Olivia's belly. When he thought they'd lost the baby he always wondered if that child was a boy or a girl. And for last two days he couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities of having either gender. If it was a boy, he could see himself playing with both his young sons, and he thought Teddy would enjoy having a brother more his age, and not fifteen years older. But he knew if it's a girl, that she would have him wrapped around her little finger, just like her mother did.

Olivia pulled a face. It was easily readable. She wasn't sure if she should feel guilty about something she'd been hiding, or even if she should tell him or not. "I, um, I already know. I found out at my last ultrasound," she revealed. She couldn't not find out. And even before the technician had finished asking if she wanted to know the sex of the baby she had cut them off with a loud and definite yes. The reason she hadn't told Fitz yet was that she wasn't sure if he wanted to know and she had been waiting for him to bring it up in conversation. She had tried extremely hard not to say any gender specific pronouns around him, and she was fine to keep that up if he so see fit.

"Well tell me," he said quickly his curiosity getting the best of him. And just as Liv opened her mouth to answer, he quickly stopped her, "Wait, I don't want to know. Not yet," he added. Liv hid her smile of amusement. Fitz liked the surprise of not knowing, and usually wasn't able to have that with either Karen or Teddy.

"Then I won't tell you," Liv said. Fitz was glad she wouldn't say a word, and this was the one of the only time he was happy about how well she could keep a secret. Only with his first son was he able to go the whole way until delivery without finding out. When Mellie was pregnant with Karen, she said she would feel closer to the child if she knew, and she did not extend the same level of courtesy that Liv was going to. And with Teddy, he really didn't get a choice. The whole world found out the same time he did, all because of political capital.

"Thank you," he said as he patted her stomach. "Just tell me, are you happy with what it is?" Fitz asked, and Liv shot him a look that said that was the stupidest question he had ever asked.

"I am, but I would have been happy either way. Wouldn't you?" She responded, even though she already knew it to be true. Fitz didn't reply, he just placed a peck on the top of her head, and she knew his answer.

…

Fitz stayed the night, but like always had to leave early the next morning. He insisted of Olivia staying in bed, so she not have to get up, but she wouldn't have any of it. She walked him out the living room, and they stopped in the entrance way. "I love you," Fitz said as he placed his lips on Liv's. "And I love you too," he said crouching down halfway to talk to her stomach.

Olivia opened the door for Fitz and watched him as he walked to the elevator, two agents followed him, one did not. "Fitz?" She called out as she looked the third agent up and down. Fitz turned back at the sound of his name. "Why is he not leaving?"

Fitz nodded for his agents to stay as he started the short walk back to the apartment. "He's yours," he answered very matter of fact.

"Excuse me?" Liv asked as she held out her arm and pulled him back into the apartment and shut the door behind them. "I don't need one of your secret service agents protecting me," she stated.

"Don't think of it for you, think of it for the baby," he replied. He knew Olivia wouldn't go for it, but the baby was the child of the President of the United States' and if anyone found out about them and tried to hurt them to get at him he would never forgive himself. This was his way of being a protective father, because he wasn't always able to be with them.

"No, even if I wanted a man outside my door 24/7, it would lead to suspicion and rumours, and that is what we need protecting from," Liv said. She came home on the condition they weren't caught out, and a secret service agent stationed at her door seemed like a big red flashing arrow saying 'Pregnant Mistress'.

"Put it this way Olivia, I will not call him off his post, and I will not be leaving with him," Fitz said adamantly. He could tell by the look she was giving him that she did not believe what he was saying. He also knew she would break before him. Fitz strolled over to the sofa and took a seat to show that he was serious. He would sit there all day and night, but he knew it would not come to that.

Olivia crossed her arms in front of her chest and zeroed in on him. Though it was still dark out, she could tell the sun was going to rise any minute. She pursed her lips angrily. She knew the longer he stayed the more likely he was to being caught out on his return to the White House. "Fine," she groaned and Fitz stood up happily he had won.

He made her way back over to where she was standing, kissed her on the cheek and opened the door. He then nodded to Olivia's new secret service agent and made his way back to the elevator, where his own agents were holding the doors open for him. The doors closed but not before he shot a cocky grin in Olivia's direction.

"Ms Pope, I'm-" the agent began, trying to introduce himself, but Olivia just rolled her eyes and shut the door before he could say his name.

 **What did you think? Did you like some happy Olitz?**

 **Please Review :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, don't know when i'll next be able to update, hopefully not too long. but with Easter on the weekend and i have a couple of assignments due within the next week (-_-). But i do hope it too have some time within the next two weeks, cause i dont like going that long without updating.**

 **Anyway hope you enjoy, and thank you to those who have been reviewing :)**

It had been almost a week since Liv had been back in D.C. Fitz had come over every other day, which he said was not nearly enough for him, but the agents he trusted weren't always on, so it was all he was able to muster. Liv was still hauled up in her apartment, but there was only a week left until the election, and that meant there was only a week until she was able to leave her apartment without fear of the rumours that would ruin Fitz's chance at a second term.

Luckily Olivia had fallen back into a routine and that had made the week go by reasonably quickly, which was a welcome relief for her. Abby would come over each day and they would discuss OPA business and the campaign. Being able to throw herself into her work was something she had missed in the last two months, and it was one of the things that made coming home bearable, the other being Fitz.

With her phone by her side, she quickly saw the jumping of the caller id on the screen. Seeing who was calling, she quickly answered it, and brought the phone to her ear. "Hi," she said into the microphone.

"Hi," Fitz answered. "I just wanted to call before I left," he said. He had a few campaign stops in Pennsylvania, he was in the last leg of the campaign and he needed to be present in the purple states. "But don't worry, I'll be back before tonight," he continued.

"I'm not worried," she replied, knowing there was no way Fitz would miss being able to spend the night with her.

"So I should be over by a little after eleven," Fitz said. He had done the math, by time he had done all the campaign stops and flied back, and then had the meetings that were on the books, it would be close to midnight. Although that was now considered late to Olivia's body clock, she'd stay up. "But Marine One is ready for me, so I have to go. I love you."

"I love you too. Good luck in Pennsylvania," Liv replied, before ending the call.

…

Olivia sat flicking through the channels for something of interest to come up. She never realised how much pointless television was on during the day. She never had much time for daytime television in the past. Olivia checked her watch, to see how long it would be until Abby came over for the day, and as she looked down at the minute hand she was pleasantly surprised that it wouldn't be too much longer.

Hearing a knock on the front door, she stood from the sofa slowly and walked over to let Abby in. In her hands was a huge stack of files, and a plastic bag full of food from a restaurant near OPA. Liv eagerly took the files out of Abby's hands and walked back to the couch. "Watch dog," Abby said as she pulled a burger out of the bag and handed it to Olivia's secret service agent.

Abby closed the door behind her and came to sit with Liv on the sofa. Abby handed Liv a salad out of the bag, and pulled one out for herself. "So what's new?" Liv asked as she stabbed at a leaf of lettuce. Abby pulled a face, which Liv didn't miss. "What?"

"Do you remember an old client, the Montgomery's? The snooty rich socialites, who have more money than they know what to do with?" Abby said. And Liv racked her brain until they came to mind. "Well they need some help again," Abby continued when she realised Liv knew who they were.

"And what's the problem?" Liv asked. Abby had been doing a fine job at running OPA, and now that she was back, the work load for Abby wasn't so much.

"Well, they want Olivia Pope," Abby explained. "I tried to tell them that you were not currently in D.C. but they wouldn't take it. They said if they didn't have you, then they'd find someone else. I assume we still need their money," Abby finished.

"We do," Liv answered. She knew she hadn't been a very good boss in the last few months, and although she'd still have enough money for herself, she'd prefer to be able to pay her employees. "What do they need?" She asked, maybe depending on the situation she could come out and lend her expertise.

"They weren't specific, but it would be something controlling the media, possibly a press conference or two," Abby answered and she forked a cherry tomato.

"Oh," Liv said putting the cutlery down. That made it more complicated.

Olivia stood up, placed her hand on to the arch of her back and started walking back and forth. She was thinking of what to do. She didn't want to lose the client, but there was no way she could run a press conference, not yet. In a week it might have been a different story, the election would be over and it wouldn't be as important to stay out of the limelight as it was right now.

"Liv, we don't have to take it, they're asking for something we can't give them at the moment. It's not your fault," Abby said trying to reassure her boss.

"Yeah," she said half-heartedly before sitting down. But even though she knew she shouldn't take the case, she kept thinking over and over about how much she should and why not taking could be worse than taking it.

"They said they'd need an answer by tomorrow, so they can start looking into other firms," Abby added, though she could see Liv's head spinning.

"Tell them 'no'," Liv breathed out despairingly finally coming to a decision. She had to think about what was best for her client, and currently Fitz was the most important client. And helping the Montgomery's would hinder the campaign. There was no point risking it, especially as they were so close.

…

Liv was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on the door. It was not even ten yet, so she was surprised that Fitz was already over. Olivia put her dressing gown on before heading out to the entrance way. She put her eye to the peephole, though she didn't think she would need to. But when she looked out to the hallway, the person standing on the other side of the door was not the Grant she was expecting.

"Hello Olivia," Mellie said with an insincere smile.

 **Oh cliffhanger.**

 **What will Mellie do?**

 **And although its still about a week away, to those who celebrate i hope you have a good Easter. I'm going away with my extended family- so i've been looking forward to it all year.**

 **Anyway until i next update have a good life.**

 **Please Review :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, I trust you all had a great Easter break. Because I certainly did. Again i'm sorry i didnt update in the last two weeks, but this was my first real time i've had to write since then.**

 **Welcome to new readers. And a Thousand thanks to long time readers and reviewers. You make me smile.**

 **Enjoy :)**

Olivia froze, she wasn't even able to close the peep hole. How was the First Lady currently outside her apartment? And what did she know? Did she know that Olivia was pregnant, or just that she was merely back? How could she get Mellie to leave without letting her in? She had to think fast, if there was any way to stop Mellie finding out she needed to do it quickly.

"Mellie," Olivia said in a tone that feigned happiness. "It's good to see you, but unfortunately I was just about to go to bed, can we do this some other time?" She said, but even as she did, she shook her head knowing how unbelievable that excuse would be.

"Please, we both know my husband will be here in an hour," Mellie said looking directly into the peep hole and into Olivia's eyes. And although Mellie didn't say it, Olivia could read a look on her face that said 'I know'.

Olivia tightened the tie of her dressing gown over her belly and then began work on each individual lock. Liv pulled the door and reluctantly watched as Mellie walked into the apartment and stopped just shy of the sofa. "How did you-," Olivia said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Know?" Mellie finished as she turned around to face Olivia. "It wasn't too hard to work out where my husband was sneaking off to, or to whom he was spending his nights on the phone with," Mellie explained as she rolled her eyes at the seemingly, albeit the pregnancy, familiar situation. "Though the baby, that was a new twist. That took me a little longer to figure out," she said pointing down to Olivia's stomach. Mellie would never admit that she needed a secret service agent's help to be able to connect the dots on that point.

"We didn't want you to find out this way," Olivia said, not sure what else to say.

"Well of course you didn't. You wanted to wait until after the election, or until after his inauguration, or I'm sure you would have never wanted me to find out. You both probably thought you could play house and we'd just keep up this charade for another four years," Mellie said knowing she had stumbled onto their plan. Olivia didn't have the heart to say that wasn't the case at all, and if it were up to Fitz, Mellie would be out the door as soon as the votes were counted, or really beforehand.

"We never expected it to get to this," Olivia replied. It was the truth. There was no way that any of them would have guessed that this was where they would be six months ago.

"It's funny, because since I found out that you were still expecting, I didn't know who to hate more. Fitz for so blatantly lying to me when I first found out, or myself for stupidly believing him. But then I remembered- I can see through any lie that Fitzgerald Grant has the audacity to tell me. So I figured that he wasn't lying to me. What he said, he truly believed. So it was you. You lied to him. You betrayed him. You broke him," Mellie explained, she had spent a lot of her time in the last week thinking about this. Especially because she wanted to know exactly what she was going to say before coming over to her formidable opponent's apartment.

"I-" Liv began but Mellie held up her hand to stop her.

"You wouldn't hurt him unless it was absolutely necessary. You couldn't do that. Not to him. So I was wondering what was worthy of breaking his heart and crushing his spirit. And then it came to me. The only thing we saw eye to eye on. His Presidency. Is that correct, Olivia?" Mellie asked, though she already knew that answer. It was the same answer as it was 4 years ago in Defiance. For Fitz to win they would do almost anything.

"Yes," Liv answered. There was no point denying it, though she would not go into details. Olivia was interested in seeing where this was going, she knew Mellie wasn't stupid enough to come over if it were just a theory.

"That's what I thought. Unfortunately for the both of you, I no longer care as much as I once did about his re-election," Mellie said. She'd been scorned too many times by Olivia and Fitz's relationship in the past, and the pregnancy was the last straw. "So, if you do not leave, I will. But we both know that he will not win without me. Not a week out. And to make sure of that, I will go on national television and besmirch the name of Fitzgerald Grant and I will enjoy doing it. I will burn this White House to the ground. I will bury you both in the sand. I will no longer stand by and watch as you two continue this perverted fairy tale. This is the end," Mellie said, her nostrils flaring and her top lip turned upright. "I will give you until tomorrow evening to make your decision, be sure to make the right one."

Olivia stared at the First Lady, her mouth hung somewhat open. Did she really just hear those words come out of Mellie's mouth? "Okay," was all that could roll off Liv's tongue, and she hated that she didn't say more, but right now she didn't know what else to say. She wasn't expecting anything that had happened in the last five minutes. She was definitely shell-shocked.

"I don't know if it's the fact you've been away for two month or your hormones, but you're off your game. You've lost your edge. I came over here expecting a fight. But as always you're quite the disappointment," Mellie said as she walked to the door to leave.

But Mellie was wrong. Liv was not off her game. She just wasn't ready to go up against Mellie tonight. You can't win a fight when you are not prepared. And Liv knew there was no point in trying to win this round. It was easier to let Mellie show all the cards in her hand, before Liv laid down her own. The only problem was that now Olivia didn't know what they were.

"Oh, and Liv," Mellie said quickly turning back. "Can you please remind my husband that our children will be returning from boarding school tomorrow morning and I'd hate for him to be with his whore when they come home," Mellie said before walking out the door.

…

Olivia sat on the sofa as she watched the second hand on the wall clock tick slowly around. Fitz would be knocking on her door any minute now. Liv kept fighting with herself. She didn't know if she should bring up Mellie's visit to Fitz, mostly because she knew exactly what he would say when he found out. But also because she didn't want to let on that the conversation with Mellie sent her mind wandering again, and for the hundredth time in this pregnancy she didn't know what to do.

She hated that she was put in this position again. It was her own fault. If she'd stayed in Vermont then Mellie wouldn't have found out and she would have never been given the ultimatum she had been.

Upon hearing the knock on the door, she stood up to let Fitz in. This time it had to have been him. All she wished was that she'd been able to come to a decision of what to do before he arrived. But maybe it was better that he was here, maybe they could work through this all together, like they agreed they would from now on.

Liv held the door open as Fitz walked into the apartment. He turned around to greet her once the door was closed, but he could tell this wasn't the same Olivia he had been seeing recently. "What is it?" He asked seeing the glum expression plastered across her face.

 **Oh what will Liv do? What will Mellie do? And what will Fitz do if or when he finds out?**

 **Let me know what you think :)**

 **Please Review :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys, sorry about the lack of update last weekend. I was deathly ill (I had a cold-not actually dying btw). Plus I had a major assignment due and then full day rehearsals so I've been so pooped.**

 **Thanks to everyone who continues to read this, and to the ones who are reviewing, it means a hell of a lot :)**

Fitz walked from the elevator to Olivia's apartment, nothing had made him happier than the time he was able to spend here with Liv. He acknowledged the secret service agent standing at the door and then knocked. He heard the footsteps coming to let him in. As the door opened he quickly read the expression on Liv's face. "What is it?" He asked.

Olivia didn't answer and just walked back to the sofa. Fitz followed needing to know what the face meant. She looked more angry than upset, so he ruled out anything being wrong with their baby. He hoped she wasn't mad at him, he couldn't think of anything he could have done that would deserve the scowl, well not in the last half a day anyway.

"Liv?" He asked again waiting for her to answer before he sat down.

"Your wife paid me a visit about an hour ago," Liv answered, after taking a deep breath. Fitz's face changed to confusion. How could have Mellie found out about Liv being back? And he didn't want to even imagine what Mellie had to say about this whole situation, not that he really cared, but he knew Olivia would.

"Oh," he said as he took a seat.

"Mellie knows I'm pregnant, and all you can say is 'Oh'?" Liv asked. Her head was spinning just trying to think of how to handle this all, she could just imagine what Fitz was thinking. She'd had over an hour to mull this all over and her mind was still foggy. She didn't have much of an option in telling Fitz about Mellie's visit. He could tell something wasn't right and she didn't have the mindset to come up with a convincing lie, not that she actually wanted to lie to him.

"Walk me through what happened," Fitz said taking Liv's hand in his.

"She knew about the pregnancy before I even opened the door. She said it wasn't hard to figure out that I was back. Then she pranced around like she owned the place, telling me how things were going to be. And I was so shocked I just had to listen to what she had to say," Liv explained. She knew Fitz was going to ask exactly what she said, but she wanted to wait to tell him, even if it was just a minute.

Fitz rubbed his forehead. He knew there was more to come. With Mellie there was always something more. All he could hope was that his wife's visit didn't scare Liv, but he wasn't so sure of that. "Okay, what did she say?"

"What didn't she say?" Liv said as Mellie's words replayed in her mind. Fitz gave her a look that said 'tell me'. Liv let out a sigh. She knew Fitz would be angry and would try to do something. But if she couldn't think through what to do, then what could he bring to the situation. "The condensed version is: if I don't leave, she will. And she'll bring you down when she does," Liv explained.

"Let her go, after a week, we won't need her," Fitz replied, and Liv expected that response.

"Mellie knows that. Which is why she gave me until tomorrow to decide," she added.

"Hell hath no fury," He joked.

"This is serious Fitz. She's serious," Liv said, as if it hadn't occurred to him.

"I know. But it's time we come clean. Time to be honest," Fitz began.

"And if this was in two months I would agree with you, maybe even a week, but not yet," Olivia said not knowing she was interrupting him.

"Maybe all this is a sign. A sign that we can finally be together. We tried. We tried it your way. It didn't work," Fitz said. He remembered Liv saying that one of the reasons she left was because she didn't want him to resent her if he didn't get another term because of her. But this wouldn't be Liv's fault. If Mellie exposed them, then it would be Mellie's fault, and he already resented her.

"How many times do we have to do this? We're just having the same conversation over and over again. Do you expect me to change what I've been saying for the last six months? It's less than a week until Election Day. And that night your name will be read out, and you will become a two term president," Olivia said, for what felt like the hundredth time since she found out she was pregnant.

"What do you suggest we do? We're out of options," he said.

"We're not out of options. There's still something that can be done," Olivia replied.

"No. You're not leaving again," he couldn't lose her twice. Who knew how long Mellie would keep up whatever game she was playing. Hell if it was up to Mellie, she'd never let Liv come back.

"I never said I was leaving," Liv replied.

"Well what other option is there?" He asked. It was what Mellie wanted and he was terrified that Liv would give into her demands. It wouldn't be the first time that Liv did that.

"I don't know. But I'm not leaving. I didn't come back just to go again," Liv replied. Mellie had come in and bossed her around. She'd taken it because she wasn't ready for the confrontation, but now she wasn't going to sit by and let Mellie get away with it. "Do you trust me?"

"More than anybody else," Fitz replied. There was no one in the world he loved and trusted more than Liv.

"Then let me handle this. I can handle this," Liv said getting her confidence back.

"How?"

"I don't know yet," she said honestly, but she knew she would come up with something. "But I promise that when I come up with a plan I will call you," Liv added knowing that Fitz would want to know and should know.

"Okay," he said, giving into Liv. But if whatever she was going to plan didn't work, then what did they have to lose? Once Mellie played this card she wouldn't have anything left in her hand and they would be free of her blackmail forever. "Now can we stop discussing my soon-to-be ex-wife and go to bed?" Fitz asked. Olivia smiled and nodded. Fitz stood and pulled Liv up and then led her down the hall to her room.

…

"Liv?" Fitz answered his cell in his office.

"I have a plan," she said.

"What is it?" Fitz asked, and Liv began to explain what she was going to do in detail. Fitz nodded every step of the way. A smile on his face the entire time. "It's perfect. Do it."

 **Don't let me go this long with out updating again okay?**

 **Anyway tell me what you think.**

 **What could Liv be planning and will it work?**

 **Please Review :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys, not much to say up here but please check my author note at the bottom for some news :)**

Olivia showed her pass and walked through the gates into the White House. It was the first time she had been there since she left Fitz two months prior. No matter where she looked she couldn't hide from someone else's gaze. They were all staring down at her stomach. It wasn't a surprise, the news wouldn't have reached these people yet. But Olivia didn't care, she had more important business to attend to.

She walked straight ahead determined to reach her destination. She didn't bother getting the go ahead from the assistant guarding the door, instead she twisted the handle to the office not caring if she was intruding.

"Olivia?" Mellie said as she looked up startled. She had not expected to see her husband's mistress today, and really she hoped that after her ultimatum last night she was never to Olivia again, or at least not for a very long time. "Why are you here?" She asked bitterly.

"I'm here to give you my decision," Liv replied as if it was obvious.

"A phone call would have sufficed," Mellie said glaring at Olivia's pregnant stomach.

"Actually, it wouldn't have," she said as she took her phone out her bag. "See if I called I couldn't show you this," she said as she opened the video file that had been recorded an hour prior.

"What is this?" Mellie asked after Liv handed her the cell. The video started to play, and the screen was filled with a scene of Olivia standing at a podium as she was asked questions.

" _Ms Pope, is your surprising pregnancy the reason you are no longer working on President Grant's campaign?" A reporter in the crowd asked._

" _Although I am not personally running the Grant campaign, Olivia Pope and Associates still are. After some early complications in my pregnancy, the Grant's, who are very close friends, agreed that the stress that comes with a campaign was too much and my health was more important. Mrs Grant, who pushed for it, as a new mother herself, was extremely understanding and has become a closer confidant, and I share everything with her," Liv answered._

"That's not even true," Mellie said disgusted as she threw the phone back into Olivia's hands.

"I know that, but the media doesn't," Liv began. She knew exactly what she was doing, and exactly what she would say. There was no way she was going to walk out of the First Lady's office without getting what she wanted. "I also know that your image is the most important thing to you. Now you may go to the press, do an exclusive interview, get your side out there, and they may or may not believe you. And even if they did, because of this press conference, you would no longer come out as the victim. All they would care about was- how much you knew and when you knew it. You wouldn't be able to play the scorned wife angle, which you're so greatly relying on. You would be a late night punchline, a laughing matter when it came to politics and Washington. A joke. Nothing more."

"You can't be serious," Mellie said shocked by what she just heard. This was not the Olivia she had encountered last night. Mellie wouldn't admit it but what Olivia was saying scared her. She'd known for a while that after Fitz's re-election she wouldn't be needed, but she always thought that given the right spin that that wouldn't be a problem. There was no one better at spin than Olivia and she wanted Liv on her side when the time came, but this pregnancy threw her for a loop and changed everything she'd had planned.

"What makes you think you'll get out of this alive? You know me. You hired me to run Fitz's campaign. You know I can destroy anyone that's in my path. Why would you think you'd be safe? You will have no career. Forget about running for anything more than a small town's councilwoman, because you'd never be elected anything higher. Even as a lawyer no one would hire you. No one will want you. You might get rolled out when a talk show wants a guest host to boost ratings for a day. But all they'll want to hear from you about is what you think about what the people you used to run with are wearing. They won't want to hear what's in your brain, or about how educated you are. They won't want to hear from Mellie Grant, because no one will care about Mellie Grant. You won't be anything more than a footnote on the bottom of a high school textbook. I will see to that. Or I can see that you'll get out of this with not only a good reputation, in Washington and to the people, but also have whatever semblance of career you want," Liv continued.

"And if I don't agree?" Mellie asked. She still felt that she had a card to play, but she was starting to weigh the outcomes and could tell they might not come out in her favour.

"Usually when it comes to you I'm lenient, forgiving, mostly because I feel I have to be. But not this time. You won't just be going after me or Fitz. You'd be coming after my child," Liv said and placed her hand on her stomach. "And I will not stand by and take it."

Olivia stared Mellie down, telling her that she was serious. She could read every expression that flashed across the woman's face. Most of it was filled with anger. But Mellie knew Liv didn't lose, and wouldn't lose. "What are my options?" Mellie asked.

"Stay quiet for the next few months, until the time comes when it is appropriate to break the news and get a life you'd be satisfied with after all was said and done, or tell the world, be in the headlines until all this is nothing more than old news. You might get a book deal, which no one will want to read. You'd be too ashamed to show your face anywhere, and you'd have to move to a small town where you would only hope that no one would be able to recognise you. Though the choice is yours, I know what I'd pick," Olivia said laying out the only two options that were available to the First Lady.

Mellie let out a sigh of hatred and contempt, she knew she had been backed into a corner, a placed she didn't want to be and a place she didn't expect to be. How had Olivia won yet again? "Fine," Mellie conceded, it was easier than fighting, and she believed Olivia when she said she'd stop at nothing.

"Excellent," Liv said walking over to Mellie's desk. She pulled a couple of pieces of paper out her handbag. "I'll need you to sign this nondisclosure then," Liv said handing her the document. Olivia could tell that Mellie was not expecting this part of the agreement. It wasn't that Liv didn't trust Mellie to stay quiet, she even knew that a legal binding contract wouldn't stop her from changing her mind and going to the networks. But this was proof that Mellie knew everything and was a willing participant in keeping this all secret, and that was something that Olivia would very easily hold over Mellie's head or bring to light if Mellie went to the press.

Liv watched as Mellie read over the papers twice. Liv had crafted the papers especially so there was nothing that needed to be adjusted or added. Mellie's head nodded at points until she read down to the bottom of the page. Mellie reluctantly took a pen from its holder and signed in the specified spot. After which she thrusted the papers back to Olivia.

"Now, can you please leave me alone," Mellie said rubbing at her head, she had a tension headache that would only be solved by jar of her daddy's hooch.

Liv nodded and turned to leave. As she reached the door she turned back, having one final thing to say. "Oh, and Mellie, don't come over to my apartment uninvited again," Olivia said before walking out the office.

Happily, Liv walked down the halls until she was outside Fitz's office. She was informed by Lauren that only Cyrus was with the President in the Oval, so Liv opened the door and walked in, not bothering to knock.

Cyrus stopped talking as soon as he heard the door open, and when he saw it was Liv, he was not pleased. He was still against the pregnancy, and now that the public knew, there was the increased risk of rumours about paternity flying around. Cyrus didn't even bother saying a word to his former student, and knowing that is was a matter of seconds before the President dismissed him, he left the room before Fitz had a chance.

"I saw your performance at the press conference," Fitz said as Liv walked over to his desk. "Tell me your talk with Mellie went just as well," and with the grin that was now on her face, he knew it had.

"She shouldn't be a problem until after the election," Liv replied, rounding his desk, until they were only a few feet apart.

"Good," Fitz said as he pulled her onto his lap. "Because we won't ever need her again after that," he placed one hand on Liv's belly and his lips on her cheek.

Things were actually working out, it was hard to believe. They both knew they had a long way to go before things were exactly how they wanted them to be. But right now it all didn't seem that far away. Liv raised her hand to caress the side of Fitz face and pulled him in for a proper kiss.

"I should go," Olivia said, though she didn't really want to leave. "I just wanted to quickly come in and tell you how things went," she explained. "Plus I have a meeting with my clients back at the office," she added. After Olivia had called Fitz to tell him what she had planned, she'd called Abby to put things on motion, the main thing being accepting the Montgomery's as clients. She'd set the press conference up quickly and paid someone to ask about her pregnancy, at the time, to anyone who was not in the know, it seemed like an innocent and unexpected question, it was anything but.

"Alright," Fitz said, but neither of them moved. Liv laid her head on Fitz's shoulder, she could've easily fallen asleep. It had been a long day, and it was far from over. Fitz patted the top of her head, slowly running his hand through the top layer of hair. If it was possible, he would have not moved and let Liv stay in that spot for the rest of the day, but he knew they couldn't stay like this for much longer. "Liv," he whispered softly after a minute, and Olivia slowly lifted her head. "I'll call you tonight."

 **I hope you enjoyed. And yay for Liv finally telling Mellie where to shove it ahah.**

 **SO- I have two ideas for new multi-chap Olitz stories. But I'm very indecisive, and can not choose which to write. I don't like having multiple stories at one time unless i am a fair way through a story (which i feel i soon will be with this fic). So this is where you come in. I'm gonna have a little competition of some sorts. For each signed review for the next FIVE chapters i will write your name down and place it in a jar, and at Chapter 30 I will pull 3 names out and i will PM them on some details of the story ideas i have and they can decide.**

 **I would go through all the reviews i have received and write the names down, but I dont know if early reviewers are still reading and it would be weird for them to receive a PM out of the blue if they won. This is in no means a ploy to garner more reviews, its just i'm in love with both ideas and i dont want to do them an injustice by only giving them half my brain space when it comes to writing them. and again i am very indecisive.**

 **If you want to leave me a review but dont want to participate just leave a little extra in your review and i wont put your name in.**

 **So quick guide-**

 **-if you review five chaps your name will be in five times, three chaps in three times, etc  
-Guest reviews wont count, cause then I wont be able to PM you (sorry, to the guest reviewers i do get, i hope i didnt just alienate you)  
-Chapter 30 will not be the end of this story, just that i feel i will be far enough in at that point to start a new story  
-Any other questions shoot me a PM or leave it in a review and i'll get back to you.**

 **Thanks for reading**

 **Pip xx**


	26. Chapter 26

**Wow, unbelievable response for the last chapter and I just want to thank those who reviewed (Your names are already in the vase-i had nothing else- and i hope to put your name in again)**

 **Anyway i hope you like this chap like you liked the last :)**

Fitz sat at his desk, it was late, and although he couldn't go over to Olivia's apartment, their nightly phone call was what he'd been looking forward to since he last her saw her that afternoon. He picked up the phone and asked for a secure line, but just as he was about to dial her number, the office door pushed open and in walked a silk robe clad Mellie. She had an open jar of her Daddy's Hooch in her hand.

"You're a little underdressed Mel," Fitz said as he put the phone back down.

"Well, according to your baby mama, no one is going to care what I do soon, I'm just getting a head start," Mellie said as she took another drink and swirled around the room. "Do you know what she said to me? Olivia, I mean."

"I told her to say it," Fitz replied, he might not have said the exact words but he definitely agreed to them.

"I should have known," she said slightly pursing her lips. "What happened to us?" Mellie asked as she sat down on the sofa. "We used to be a team. We used to be in this all together," she said waving her hand around the room.

"We haven't been a team for a very long time," Fitz said standing up from behind the desk and walking around to sit across from his wife. He poured himself a glass of scotch and took a sip. "Olivia and I are the team now," he continued.

"You don't think I know that? She's been ruining my life the moment she waltz in that campaign meeting after you bombed Iowa. Since then I never stood a chance," Mellie replied.

"If you think Olivia is the reason we have problems, then you've been drinking too much," he laughed and took a final sip and placed his glass down.

"What I want to know is- why am I the bad guy? You're the one that broke your vows, you're the one the knocked your mistress up, and you're the one who threatened my career," Mellie asked, even though she knew she wouldn't get an answer that would satisfy her. "But of course you're a man, and men can do no wrong," Mellie said blaming the patriarchal society.

"Let me remind you, you threatened Liv first," Fitz said, Liv would have tried to be civil to Mellie, if not for that fact. "And don't ever call Olivia a mistress, she's more than that and you know it. Now is there a reason you came in here?" Fitz asked trying to put Mellie into her place.

"I don't even know anymore," she replied rubbing her head.

"Then maybe you should go to bed," Fitz pushed, wanting her to leave.

Mellie rolled her eyes and sighed before standing up. "Of course, I interrupted your midnight phone sex," she said and walked to the door. "And Fitz, find a different room to sleep in from now on," Mellie said, and Fitz laughed at the extremely appealing offer.

Fitz watched as his wife walked out the door, and waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps in the hall before he stood and walked back to his desk. He picked up the phone and asked again for a secure line. Within two rings Olivia answered. "Hi," Fitz said.

"Hi," Liv answered. "Have you received any backlash from Mellie?" She asked only guessing that the First Lady wouldn't be happy about their conversation earlier.

"She came to visit. Didn't say much, and even if she had I wouldn't have cared," he said honestly. He felt a little bad for Mellie, but he also believed she bought it on herself going at Liv last night the way she did. "But enough about her, how are you now you're out in the open?" Fitz asked, hoping that nothing had changed since she left the White House. He hadn't heard anything but that didn't mean something couldn't have happened.

"Surprisingly quiet, I think the press conference really worked wonders. There's no professional public link between us anymore, and no one's put anything together, and shouldn't be able to until at least after the election. No matter what you say, going to Vermont worked out," Liv answered, she was definitely more than relieved that there had been no fall out.

"Might have worked, but that doesn't mean I liked it," Fitz replied.

"And you think I did?" Liv asked rhetorically. Aside from the space and the freedom, she hated being away, being alone, and feeling like she was a dirty little secret. It was not something she wanted to go through twice. Though she knew she'd never get that type of privacy again. Not once the news was out.

"Let's just stop talking about Vermont, unless we're talking about the future," Fitz requested. He didn't like thinking about the three months he lost, and knowing that she was hiding out in the house he had built for her was not easy to comprehend. He loved the symbolism, but he also hated the fact that if he only went up there sooner than he would have had Olivia back in his life all the more sooner.

"Agreed," she nodded. The future they had dreamed of felt like it was only a short arms reach away. And although that was comforting, knowing that once all the controversy had blown over then they would be free to lead the life together they had so greatly been waiting for, it was also terrifying, knowing they hadn't even begun going through that storm yet. And Liv knew that would be the largest storm of her life, if she wasn't Olivia Pope, she would have needed Olivia Pope to handle it.

…

The next morning Olivia sat at her desk looking over some numbers, she was pleased by them, and she should have been, her candidate was in the lead after all. But it was still a few days shy of that oh so important Tuesday.

Olivia heard her name being yelled and she raised her head and saw a look of terror on her friends face. "Turn on the news," Abby ordered.

Not questioning her, Olivia picked up the remote and switched the television on. And she wasn't all that surprised to who she was seeing, but that couldn't be said about what they were saying.

"Now, we've all heard the rumours," Leo Bergen said at a press conference. "And if they're true, then I want to be the first to congratulate the happy couple, but this ladies and gentlemen, is not the type of person we should want for the President of the United States. A man who not only has an affair but also spawns a child from said affair and then doesn't own up to it. Is that the type of man we want leading the people? I think we can all agree we're sick of seeing Fitzgerald Grant and Olivia Pope in the headlines."

 **O-oh! Shit just got real**

 **What do you think will happen? How will the soon-to-be parents handle this, or is it time to throw in the towel?**

 **Remember each chapter you review your name goes into the chance to win my little comp (details in chap 25 A/N)**

 **Please Review :D**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hiya guys, nothing much to really say, but thank you to all those who are reviewing, it means the world to me. Also my fav thing is when a new reader gets to Chapter 14 (The one where Fitz goes up to Vermont and realises Liv's still pregnant) and they freak out. i just find it really funny (please don't judge me).**

 **Anyway enjoy :)**

Olivia's mouth fell open, had she really just heard Leo correctly? She picked up the remote to rewind, but realised that there was no point, there was no other way she could have misheard. "I have to call Fitz," she said picking up her phone.

"No Liv, you haven't got time," Abby said taking the mobile out of her friend's hand. "You need to leave. You've been through this before, you know what the press is like. They'll be circling the building as soon as that press conference is over," she reminded Liv of the last time that her name was leaked to the media.

"Right, you're right," Liv said nodding her head, and she turned her attention back to the television to see Leo walking off the stage. "That means my apartment is out of the question, and I definitely can't go to the White House," Liv said picking up her bag, ready to execute a plan before she even had one.

"We can go to my place," Abby suggested. "It's probably the safest option," she said following Liv out.

"Everybody," Liv called to get the rest of OPA's attention. "We need to work out who leaked this. It was most likely Mellie, but we need proof. I will be at Abby's. Call me as soon as you find anything," Liv quickly instructed her team before walking out the office and to the elevator.

…

"Sir," Cyrus quickly ran into the Oval and Fitz looked up from reading a bill that the senate wanted passed. Fitz didn't say anything, but his eyes told Cyrus to go on "It seems like a congratulations is in order," he said a little sarcastically, walking over to the President's desk.

"Excuse me?" Fitz asked putting down the pen that was in his hand.

"Well that's what I would be saying if I didn't already know," Cyrus said.

"Can you please cut to the chase, Cy, I am actually doing something here," he said gesturing to the large stack of papers that laid half open.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, I just thought you'd like to know that the fact that your Olivia's baby daddy is out, but you're right, I can see you're busy so I'll leave you be," Cyrus said pretending that the news wasn't going to ruin the current administration and the chances of re-election.

Cyrus turned to leave to add to the faux causality of the situation. "What?" Fitz exclaimed realising what his Chief-of-Staff had just said. "What do you mean?" He asked as Cyrus turned around.

"Leo Bergen just stood up and announced it to the world," Cyrus explained.

"I need to call Olivia," Fitz said picking up his phone and putting it against his ear. "I need a secure line."

"Sir," Cyrus said placing his hand on the dock and trying to stop the President. "Do you really think that is a good idea?"

"I do, now may you please go get my wife, I'm sure she has something to do with this," Fitz said and watched as Cyrus left before dialling Olivia's cell phone. "Liv?" He asked once he could no longer hear the dial tone.

"Yeah, I'm here," she answered. "How the hell did this happen?"

"I have my suspicions," Fitz said, they of course were the same beliefs that Liv had. Because who else could it have been? "How are you?" He asked. He knew she would be freaked by the news getting out, and definitely would be unjustly blaming herself.

"In shock, to say the least," she answered, playing down how she was really feeling. "I'm heading to Abby's, we knew we had to leave the office before the press could arrive. And my apartment wasn't an option," Liv explained.

"That's smart, if they're not already there, they will be in a matter of minutes," he praised her quick thinking. "So, what are we going to do?" He was happy to do what she wanted, he was always happy to do that. If she thought this was the time to go public, he would do it. If she wanted to keep up the charade and continue to lie, he would do that. He was at her will.

"My team is working out where the leak really came from, so we can be sure it was Mellie. But after that I don't really know what to do. I know you don't want to lie, and even if we did, in the long run it will only hurt more than help. And if we tell the truth you're never going to win now, not with Tuesday only a couple days away," Liv said, thinking through their options. "Maybe it's time we come clean. I would have preferred it on our own terms, but I think we should own it."

"Are you serious?" He asked with a glimmer of hope. This was the moment he'd been waiting six months for. But at the same time it didn't feel right. This was getting forced upon them, and it was hard to fathom not winning his second term, especially seeing as of five minutes ago it was practically his.

"I think so," she said, but the waver in her voice didn't install confidence.

"We'll make it through this, no matter which way this goes. We're in this together. We'll make the decisions together. Everything together," he consoled her. "I don't want you to worry, and I don't want you to stress, because it will all be okay, whatever happens," he continued, stress wasn't good for either Olivia or the baby, and this situation was definitely stressful.

"Okay," she agreed, and tried to breathe a little slower, but it was easier said than done. "We just got to Abby's building. And it's going to be hard enough trying to get in without anyone seeing me, I don't think we should be on the phone while that happens. My team should be calling soon, I'll call you as soon as I know who it was, alright?"

"Alright. I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Liv replied before disconnecting the call.

Fitz sat dumbfounded. It was his first real moment alone since the news broke, and he was going to saver it before the whirlwind of a media circus begun. His mind was all muddled, thinking of both the pros and cons of the situation. Why did having what he really wanted feel so wrong?

"It wasn't me, I swear it," Mellie said bursting into the Oval and closing the door as she came in, even though the fact the Fitz was the father of Olivia's baby was already out, she still felt the need to keep it under wraps.

"Why don't I believe you?" He asked standing up and rounding his desk. "I know you hate both me and Liv, but this was low, even for you," he was disgusted to even breathe the same air as her, and even more so because he was still married to the beast.

"Fitz, please. I didn't do this," her hands shaking in front of her. "It coming out like this makes me look just as bad as you. I wanted her to leave, I wanted her and the baby out of our life. But when she came to me playing hardball yesterday, I agreed. Olivia is not a person you mess with, not unless you absolutely have to. I know you don't think a lot of me, but you have to agree I'm not stupid enough to do this," she said pleading for her husband to believe her.

Fitz was considering if Mellie was telling the truth or not, and of course she looked like she truly believed what she was saying. But it wasn't that simple. There was no one else who could have leaked it. The only people that knew that he was the father was- himself, Olivia, her band of misfits, Mellie and Cyrus. He knew it wasn't him, or Olivia. He couldn't see her team going against their boss. And if it wasn't Mellie like she said, then the only person left was Cyrus. And Cyrus cared more about re-election then he and Olivia combined, so it wouldn't have been him. "I'm sorry Mel, but you're not the most honest person around here, and I don't trust you. Luckily we'll know sooner or later, Olivia's already working on where the leak came from," he said.

"Do I look scared?" She said taking his hand in hers, but he quickly swatted it away. "And you want to know why? Because you never did stop to think that the leak was from the one person who has nothing to lose" Mellie said, she had her own assumptions on who was behind all this.

"And who would that be?" He asked but before she could answer, Tom came into the office holding his cell out for him to take. Fitz held up his finger to stop Mellie. Taking the mobile from his secret service agent's outreach, he knew it could only be Olivia, so he answered it straight away. "Liv?"

"It wasn't Mellie," Liv said.

"Then who was it?" He asked needing to know. He couldn't believe it wasn't his wife, even with her trying so desperately for him to take her word as the truth. No one else made sense. No one else had anything to gain from leaking the news so close to the election. No one else knew enough to be the source.

"It was Sally."

 **Oh how did she find out? *insert soap opera voiceover* Find out next week on THE NEW NORMAL!  
Idk theres something wrong with me...dont judge or ask ahah  
**

 **Anyway we're halfway through the comp, so dont forget to review to get your name in the vasey thingy**

 **Speculate in the reviews below :D**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thanks to everyone who is reviewing, i'm loving your speculation on what is going to happen next!**

"How the hell could it have been Sally?" Fitz questioned. In his belief there was only select few that really knew that he was the father, and none of them would go to the Wicked Witch of the West-Wing.

"Right now, it doesn't matter about how she found out, it matter's what we're going to do about it," Olivia said, her head was already spinning on where the leak would have been, or even if there was a leak. Sally knowing just didn't make sense, but it was out and they had to deal with that.

"We're not discussing this on the phone, I need to see you," he said, and he heard a sigh and looked up to see Mellie leaving the room.

"Sure, I'll just come over through the White House gates, that won't add any fire to the flames," Liv said sarcastically, there was no way he was thinking clearly.

"That's not what I meant. There is a way," Fitz said happily, ready to explain his plan to Olivia, which was a nice turn of events from the regular.

…

Fitz and Cyrus walked down to the bunker. He would have preferred to do this with Olivia alone, like it should be, but she was bringing Abby, and told him to bring his chief-of-staff. Thankfully, she didn't say to bring Mellie, because he would have drawn the line there. The bunker doors opened, and he saw Olivia standing at the opposite side of the table.

"Are you alright?" Fitz asked as he rushed to Liv's side and rubbed up and down on her arm. He hoped like hell that the stress hadn't got to her, it couldn't be too good for either her or the baby.

"I'm fine. If this is how it is from now on, I just have to get used to it," she said nodding up and down, to assure him she was okay.

"I can't believe this is happening. How did she find out?" Fitz asked and he pulled slightly away from Liv to face everyone else.

"We can't work that out. A leak was the only thing that made sense. And there's only a handful of people who really know and none of them would have run to Sally. All I can think of is if she somehow overheard us," Liv said. The whole car ride over she'd been thinking of ways the Vice President could have become privy to the information, but nothing seemed logical.

"I've barely seen her in the last week and a half, she's been out doing campaign stops since you returned," Fitz remembered.

"Could have been one of her aides," Cyrus added. "Whomever it was is as good as fired."

"Or Ethan or Lauren," Liv said, throwing out more names.

"The boys an idiot," Cyrus replied.

"And Lauren would have been able to sink us a long time ago," Fitz disagreed. She'd been his secretary for the past four years, she would have to have known about Olivia and himself far before now.

"Secret Service agent?" Cyrus said, throwing out another suggestion.

"What if she doesn't know?" Abby asked, and everybody stopped and turned to look at her as if she were crazy. "Think about it, she's losing the election, if it were us wouldn't we do everything and anything to stop that from happening?" She finished and Liv really thought about what she was saying. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it herself. Leo's press conference was just a way to get the rumours out there and spinning. And nothing kills a campaign more than rumours.

"She's right…this is all a campaign strategy," Liv said walking over to her friend, really thinking it through while she did. "We've done worse things to guarantee the win."

"Yes! I wouldn't put it pass that weasel," Cyrus added.

"If it was actually us in this situation, we'd have someone to corroborate the story, even if we had to pay them off. We'd have something. Let's assume they found my medical records or my OB, the best they could come up with is 'Father: Unknown', and that's not exactly a slam-dunk. If they had anything they would have already released it," Liv said, thinking as if she were in their position.

"Exactly," Abby said, glad her point hadn't been brushed away.

"We should have our own press conference and call them out on it," Liv said, all the gears in her head turning and lighting speed. How had she not put the pieces together herself? They'd been careful, aside from a leak, there was no way that Sally or Leo could have any real evidence to back up the allegations.

"I can have one set up in twenty minutes," Cyrus said, rubbing his hands together.

"But before you do, we need to be sure, if we call them out, and they really do have proof, we might as well forfeit the race," Olivia stated, before she, Cyrus and Abby broke out into the next stage of their strategy. A strategy that involved denying the rumours and calling Sally out at two individual press conferences. One at the White House podium and the other given by Abby defending Liv.

"Stop!" Fitz called out. "Can Olivia and I have a moment," Fitz said, and waited for Cyrus and Abby to leave. "What is happening? From the very beginning I have said I would not deny that I was the father. You know that. I have gone along with a lot, but I will not go along with this," he said putting his foot down.

Olivia walked back over to where she was once standing. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry but what other option do we have?" She asked. This was the make or break point of the election. It was only a few days until the votes would be cast and there wasn't any time to waste in not getting out there and covering their asses.

"We come clean. Less than an hour ago, you were the one saying that that was the best option," he said thinking about their earlier phone call. It coming out might have been messy but it was definitely something he was willing to go through.

"That was before," she declared. That was when she thought admission wasn't just the best option, but the only option. "That was when I thought it was the last resort," she said.

"Last resort? I glad you think that about our future," Fitz said his words full of hurt and disgust.

"Fitz, you know that's not what I meant," Liv said placing her hands on the outer part of his forearms.

"It sure as hell sounds like it though. Every time we get close to being made public, you pull away, or find a way for us to stay in the shadows just a little while longer," he said angrily, stepping back as he did.

"Right now, we are doing what's best. We can make it another couple of months. After we call them to see what they really know, we'll know what we have to do. Everything is going to work out, one way or another," she explained, trying to reassure him on the situation.

"I don't want to deny it," he said adamantly.

"You might not have a choice," she concluded. Liv walked over to the bunker door and let Cyrus and Abby back in. "We're going to call Leo," she explained and Abby nodded and pulled out her phone and dialled the number.

Abby placed the phone on the table and tapped the loud speaker button. They all listened intently as each ring would finish. "Leo, that was low, even for you," Abby said after Sally's campaign manager answered the call.

"Maybe, but you'd agree- everything is fair game at the moment. And I think the people deserve to know that your guy is a lying cheat," Leo said expressing his disdain for Fitz.

"And that yours is a conniving witch," Abby retorted. Olivia motioned for her to bring it down a notch and the red head gladly followed. "All that aside, you find out Liv's pregnant and you assume it's his? Why?"

"Everyone in Washington knows your boy Fitzy likes to fool around, can't imagine he'd be careful all the time," Leo said, and Liv grabbed for Fitz's arm to hold him back. "Liv was just a scapegoat to bring back those old infidelity claims, and if it turns out to be true, bonus for us," he said smugly.

"You're sick, do you know that? Liv's a good person, but you'd be happy to destroy her life, even though she hasn't been a part of the campaign in months," Abby said, and Liv motioned for her to wrap it up.

"There's always innocent victims in war," Leo mused.

"You disgust me," Abby said before hitting 'end call'.

They all looked around silently at one another letting the information sink in. "Cyrus, set that press conference up," Liv instructed, and Cyrus began to walk away. "Wait," she called out and he turned back around to look at his past student. She looked at Fitz and saw a look of disappointment splashed out across his face. "We're not going to deny it," she said, and Fitz's eyes flashed full of shock and bewilderment, much like everybody else's.

 **So I dont know if i'll be able to update next weekend. I'll be going away this week for a mini vacation to Sydney, and wont have time to do any writing and when i get back i'll have to catch up on the classes i missed.**

 **Dont forget this is the second to last chapter you can enter my competition, so get your names in :)**

 **Anyway i'll love to know what you think, or what you suspect is going to happen!**

 **Please Review :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks to everyone who wished me a good mini holiday, I had an awesome time! And within an hour or two of landing back home I was at uni for class, yep thats my life ahah.**

 **Also thanks for the reviews, and to the new readers who are following along. And to the older readers -I hope you are all still enjoying this :)**

 **Enjoy-**

" _There is still no word from the White House about the relationship between President Grant and Olivia Pope and if in fact the President is the father of Ms Pope's unborn baby. Many will remember a year ago when the First Lady announced the President was having an extramarital affair, and Olivia Pope's name was mentioned at the time. Now were we all too quick to assume he's only had the one mistress? Only time will tell. But sources inside the White House are saying that we will have our answer by late afternoon."_

…

Once the press conference was set up, Cyrus came back down to the bunker. Everyone was waiting for him to come back so they could continue working out what exactly was going to be said during the press conference. It was easy to see where everyone stood on that issue. But really only Liv's and Fitz's opinions mattered at this point.

As soon as Cyrus sat down Olivia started to talk about how this was going to work. She was the only one to remain standing. Her hands rested on her belly as she paced back and forth. "Right now we're in a balancing act. Go out there too soon and we'll look like we're trying to cover something up. Go out there too late and the media will have too much time to run with it and control the story. And if we hold our press conferences not long enough apart then it looks like we are working together. For this to work, everything needs to be perfect," she said mostly voicing her thoughts. She worked through situations better when she could voice them.

"Do you have a preference on who goes first?" Abby asked her friend.

Olivia stopped pacing and took the seat next to Fitz. "We should," she said, directing her words to Abby. "We'll get our side out there sooner, without it looking like this is a top White House priority. The longer the President takes to respond to this story, will make it seem more ridiculous," Liv replied, and held Fitz's hand under the table. She knew this isn't what he had in mind when she said they wouldn't deny it, but this way was the best of both worlds. Liv got what she wanted, and Fitz got what he wanted.

Olivia set out exactly what they would need to say. She worked two different angles into this situation. One for each press conference. They could not cover the same points, or even say the same things. And this way they could attack Sally from different fronts. It was these situations she lived for, the political genius it took for this to turn out the way they wanted. She only wished she wasn't the headline in this scandal.

Once everyone was in agreement of what would be said and by whom, Fitz asked Cyrus and Abby to leave to give him and Liv some needed alone time. As soon as the bunker door closed he turned to face Olivia. He took her hands in his and pulled them to his lap.

"I wish I could hate this more," Fitz said. He was getting what he wanted, just not in the way he wanted.

"I know," Liv said brushing the back of his hand with her thumb. She could understand where he was coming from. "But we have to do this," she continued.

Fitz went silent, he looked glum. All he could think about was how things would be different if he wasn't the President of the United States. Liv read his face and pulled his hands over to her stomach, and laid them to rest there. Almost instantly Fitz could feel a little kick against his palm. He looked up and smiled at Olivia before leaning over and pecking her on the lips. Win or lose, he was going to have Olivia and the baby, and that was all that mattered.

…

Abby walked up to the makeshift podium and Olivia stood a few feet to the side and a couple of steps back. This was how she would set it up if this was any other situation and she was not in the spotlight. The aim was to humanise Olivia to the public, to show she was innocent in all of this, and that defaming her was wrong on so many levels.

Abby waited around twenty seconds before starting. She looked back to Olivia for confirmation, and Liv slyly nodded. "We're here to talk about the rumours that came out today. And all we can say is that they are just that…rumours. We don't know why Mr Bergen has alleged to the paternity of Olivia's child, but he's attacking a good person with these slanderous things. Olivia is a victim to a political war. She is just a regular citizen of this country, like everybody else out there. She has not been a part of the Grant campaign in months, there is no reason to bring her into this with nonsense. All this has become very stressful and is an unimaginable situation for Olivia to be in. At this stage in her pregnancy she should not be subject to these things. Olivia is a person, not some playing piece for someone to use at their own will. Because of these malicious rumours her business has begun to suffer, and she can no longer go to her workplace or home without being bombarded with questions from the press. Olivia is not a public figure and her life should not be made to feel like a spectacle. She wishes her personal life to remain private, as it should be," Abby finished. She had hit all the points Olivia had told her to, and all that remained now was the not so surprising reporter's need for their questions to be answered. "We'll take a few questions now," Abby added, pointing to a female reporter at the front of the crowd with her hand up. Olivia stepped forward to the podium ready to answer the question.

"Ms Pope, you've been linked to several high ranking Political figures, is it true you haven't disclosed the paternity of your child because you don't know who the father is?" A reporter asked.

"Excuse me? Of course I know who the father is," Liv answered disgusted by the question she just received.

"Is it President Grant's?" Another reported called out. It was a question she had not wanted. If she said 'no' it would be a denial, and she couldn't answer with the truth.

"I think I would know if the President was the father of my child," Liv answered. "The reason I haven't announced the paternity is because currently the only people who have the right to know, are myself and the father. And we would like to keep some privacy in our lives," she added.

"There are rumours that you visited the White House yesterday, did you go to see the President?" Someone else shouted out from the back.

"I did go to the White House yesterday, but I did not go to see the President. I went to see the First Lady. I wanted to see my friend. I would not have gone if I knew this would be the backlash I'd receive," she answered truthfully. She might have seen Fitz, but she did not go just to see him. She couldn't believe that visit to the White House was only yesterday, it seemed like a lifetime had passed since Mellie was their main problem.

"That is enough questions," Abby said taking the stand back from Liv. "We would appreciate leaving Olivia alone so she can get back on with her life and leave this all in the past. Thank you," Abby finished and she and Liv walked away from the herd of reporters.

…

Cyrus walked into the press briefing room alone. He stood at the podium and waited for the roar of journalists to die down. He then started straight away. "I am not going to stay up here long because that gives more air time to these hurtful rumours. What the news has been saying today, is a way for Vice President Langston's campaign to take the light off of her fledgling polling results and attack us. This is their Hail-Mary pass. Nothing more. They have added two and two together in the hopes it will equal five and that you'll believe them. But we know the truth. And America will see this as nothing more than an attempt to discredit President Grant, so she can win the election. If she's willing to lie like this to become President, what will she do if she ever became President? If the Langston campaign had any proof to these rumours, you would all know about it. But the reason nothing to credit this story has come forward is- they don't have anything, because there isn't anything. This election should be about the issues effecting this wonderful country, not the issues between the candidates. I hope the American people can see exactly what this all was about, and not believe this feeble story come Election Day," Cyrus said trying desperately not to say anything that would give the media a story to run with, but also any definitive denial, though that wasn't high on his priorities. He would rather say 'no' and move on.

As Cyrus was about to step down reporters started to yell out questions. "Where is the President right now? And why isn't he briefing us?" Came a question that caught his attention.

"The President is in the Oval working on things that actually matter. He is not briefing you because this story is so farfetched that he believes that it does not warrant his denial," he answered strongly before walking off, a loud cacophony of noise erupting behind him.

…

Fitz sat on the sofa in the residence on the phone to Olivia and watching the television. He wanted to make sure that Cyrus didn't say or do anything out of the plan. "He actually did it," Fitz said in complete surprise. "He didn't outright deny, I thought he would have," Fitz added honestly, he wouldn't put it passed his Chief-of-Staff to change things up as he saw fit.

"I'm sure he saw that in the long run, it was better not to lie. When we win, and come clean this can't come back to haunt us," Liv said.

"Well not as much," he said realistically, there would still be some repercussion for not coming straight out and admitting the truth.

"You know this means we can't see each other until after the election. I can't visit the White House, you can't come to my apartment at midnight. This is all we get," Liv said changing the subject.

"Yeah I worked that out after leaving the bunker," he replied sadly. "It's only a few days though," he reminded her. "We can make it."

 **So I think there's been a little confusion, so i just wanted to say- This IS NOT the last chapter. But this IS the last chapter to enter my competition. Once I write and upload the next chapter next week I will be pulling 3 names out of the vase and those three people will get to pick which of my ideas i write next (As i can not decide myself)**

 **So what did you think of the chapter?**

 **Have a nice week!**

 **And Please Review :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys, so with this chapter being uploaded comes to the end of the competition. And although I havent selected anyone out of the vasey thing yet, i will tomorrow (It's really late here and I have an assignment that is due tomorrow that i have yet to finish). There will be three winners and i will PM you.**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

The last few days Fitz had been campaigning like crazy, the ever looming Tuesday that had been in the minds for the past year was finally about to get marked off their calendars. The polls would close on the east coast in less than an hour, and to him that minute hand couldn't get around to the twelve fast enough. He wouldn't be completely free until the last voting booth closed on the west, but that didn't matter to him, mostly because there was nothing more he could do.

He walked into his bedroom expectant to see it empty of any other soul, but was presently surprised on who he found sitting on the sofa facing the fireplace. "Livvie?" Fitz questioned upon seeing the love of his life, and mother of his unborn child. "What are you doing here?" He asked. This was the first time they had seen each other since the press conferences were held. They talked all the time, but they both agreed it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to the media getting a new gust of wind on them.

"I came to see the soon-to-be two term President of the United States," Liv answered, a smile plastered across her face. Olivia stood up as Fitz made his way over to her, and pulled her into him by the arms. Fitz held her in his grasp for a good minute, if he could have wished for anything this morning when he woke up, it was seeing and holding Olivia. Liv's head nestled up under his chin, and she could feel each peck Fitz placed on the top of her head. Liv pulled away and looked at him in the eyes. "I did actually come to talk to you," she added.

"What about?" He asked, though he wasn't sure he was going to like what laid ahead.

"I know this isn't what you want, but I don't think we should come out until after your inauguration," Liv said, she'd been thinking it for a while, but knew that getting Fitz to be on board was going to be difficult.

"I agree," he said, and he watched Liv's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I thought I was going to have to convince you. I came here with a speech all prepared," she continued, still in shock that no persuasion was necessary. "You agree?"

"I know I've been saying all along to come clean, but I wasn't thinking with my head. There's steps that need to be taken before we can live out in the open. And I want the American people to accept you as much and as quickly as they can. And they won't if we just come out and say it," Fitz said, and Liv nodded along.

"Right," she mumbled, though they were good reasons they were not what she had planned to say. She didn't so much care about the public perception of her, if they wanted to paint her as a homewrecker she was willing to accept that. She just wasn't willing to accept that yet.

Although she didn't say much, Fitz could tell by the little waver in Liv's voice that that wasn't what she had come here to say. "Do you have another reason we shouldn't come forward?" He asked, not sure which answer he wanted to hear.

"Ah, yeah," she answered. "A few days ago the media was on the path to becoming relentless and although what they were saying was true, it was going to be hurtful. And normally, I'm strong, and I can take it. But I don't know if I can anymore. Not for the next three months. Not in my state. And I think it would be safer for the baby if we don't find out," she explained. Her reasoning was there. When Sally leaked the news it had been extremely stressful, and her doctor had told her that although the baby was healthy to avoid stress as much as possible.

"That's a much better reason, then mine," Fitz said holding Olivia's belly and kissing her on the lips. "But if those votes come back and I don't win, screw public perception, I'm moving you into the White House, and kicking Mellie out, before the night is even over. And I won't let the media touch you, they'll have to go through me and I won't make it easy for them," he said strongly. What was the point of hiding if he wasn't staying in the White House passed January 20th?

Liv smiled, it was nice to think about, but she also knew that the possibility of that happening was slim. They had taken a hit in the polls, which was to be expected, but they hadn't done severe damage to his numbers. In fact linking Olivia's pregnancy to Fitz had hurt Sally more than it had helped her, according to the press and recent statistics. Olivia would be severely shocked if Fitz didn't come out victorious tonight after the votes were tallied. "You're not going to lose," she stated.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked. He didn't like looking at the numbers, and had tried to stay away from them as much as possible this election.

"I'm Olivia Pope," she answered which in subtext meant 'I know things' but looking at his face she knew she had to go on. "You're a Republican who leans left. Split the conservative vote right down the middle and you'll still pick up more Democrats the she will. Not to mention you picked a good home state…lots of votes," she explained.

"I also picked a good campaign manager," he said pulling her back into him. "Are you coming to my party tonight?" Fitz asked, after feeling a little kick from under his hand.

"Wouldn't miss it," she said. By time the party would start, the polls would be closed and there would be no need to hide and not be seen together. And it would look strange if Olivia wasn't there. After all they had been saying they were good friends to the press all week. And a good friend would be there for support on such an important night. "Which reminds me, I should leave and go get ready," Liv said slowly and reluctantly pulling away from him. Liv caressed his cheek with her palm, and placed her lips on his. "Bye," she whispered as she pulled and walked away.

"Liv," he called out, and waited for her to turn back to him. "No matter the results, I will be asking Mellie for a divorce tomorrow."

 **So i know that now the competitions over, there's nothing in it for you to review (except knowing that you make a certain author very happy), but please keep reviewing, it means the world to me to know what you think.**

 **Also i dont know when I will next update. For the next fortnight, i will be doing full on rehearsals and performances and will have very little time to work on assignments, let alone something i actually want to do. Hopefully will update sooner rather than later.**

 **Anyway,  
Please Review :D**


	31. Chapter 31

**I am so completely sorry that I have taken so long to update, but I have been full on busy with uni work (spent 12 days straight in rehearsals and performances and then had to do an assignment and an exam)- is still i have one assignment left (but if it's not due today, I wont do today...jks)**

 **I also haven't messages the people who won my competition (Again way too busy to compose those emails) but will message them right after uploading.**

" _As you know the polls closed an hour ago on the West Coast, but even though there are still some votes to be counted, it seems the AP has now called the election. We are now getting word that we will be crossing live to the White House to hear from the victor."_

The press swarmed around the visitor's entrance into the White House, as both Fitz and Sally would be holding their victory or concession parties there. Olivia and Abby walked in side by side, Abby although wouldn't let on was there to protect Liv knowing the media storm that could hit, but Liv didn't seem to care what the reporters would say to her.

"Ms Pope, why are you here tonight?" A reporter called out as Liv and Abby walked passed.

To the reporters surprise Olivia stopped. "I'm here to support my friend, Fitzgerald Grant. Our names might have been connected by unsubstantiated rumours in the press recently, but that doesn't mean I won't be here to offer my congratulations when he wins," Liv responded and then turned away and continued walking inside.

"Was that fun?" Abby asked once they were completely inside and couldn't be picked up from a stray microphone.

"Shutting down the press? Always," Liv laughed.

The pair walked into the room they had been directed to and it was as if Fitz had his view plastered to the door in the anticipation of Olivia's entrance, because as soon as she entered she found his eyes staring out to her. But that didn't make her go to him. She knew she had to keep some distance. If they were both determined to keep the paternity secret until the inauguration then whenever they were around people they had to act as if Olivia's belly wasn't full of Baby Grant.

When they finally made their way around to each other, they were in the centre of the room and the focus of everybody's attention. This wasn't all that uncommon for them, he was the President after all, but this was the first time they had been seen together since Sally announced that Fitz was the father.

"Olivia. It's nice to see you," Fitz said holding out his hand to greet her, which she smiled warmly and shook.

"You too, Mr President. And good luck tonight," she said as Fitz's thumb brushed the back of her palm. Not wanting the crowd to see a lingered handshake, the both pulled away in sync.

"And Abby," Fitz went to greet her next, as she was still standing to Olivia's side. "I don't think I would be here without the both of you. You've done a great job with this campaign. I know making me look good isn't always easy," he laughed.

"That's for sure," Abby joked as her hand dropped from the President's. Fitz of course didn't take offense to her joke, they had a hard working relationship in the last few months, but he strangely respected the red head for the loyalty she had for Olivia, and now really didn't mind the fact that she also lied to him for two months about why Liv really left. "Well we shouldn't keep you," Abby said, still trying to protect the couple.

…

The night went by quickly and soon the results would be out. Everybody in the room turned their attention all at once to the television, there was an alert ready to announce the election winner. Would Fitz keep his current title, or would Sally drop the 'Vice' from hers? That was the question everybody in the room, and in the country, was waiting with baited breath to receive an answer to.

Fitz surveyed the room. The atmosphere was a lot different to the last election. Maybe because everyone in the room was wondering if they would still have job come January. Last time the anticipation of winning the Presidency didn't seem as important for anyone but himself. If he lost now all these people would be out of work.

And then the word came.

Fitz instantly looked over to Olivia, whose smile and nod told him exactly how proud and happy she was. He would be a two term President.

…

Fitz took to the podium ready to give his speech to the American people. He had been reviewing this speech in his head all day. Olivia had been so sure of his victory that he didn't even have a speech prepared if he did lose. And of course she was right in this instance, as she was in every instance, that memorising two speeches would have been a waste of time.

"Firstly, tonight I would like to thank The People who have again put their faith in me to lead this country for another four years. I will to the best of my ability make you proud that you chose me to continue being your President. We will put our best foot forward and continue with the good work we have so far accomplished. But things will change in the next term, and in my opinion they will only be for the better. We are getting rid of the things that didn't work in the last administration, and bringing in things that we know will," Fitz said with a confident smile on his face and then continued one with his speech.

…

Fitz waited until he was able to sneak away unnoticed, which was easier said than done. But he needed to really see Olivia. The only thing that had put a damper on the night was the fact that he couldn't be open and honest about Liv and himself.

"Well done, Mr President," Liv smiled as Fitz walked into the Oval and over to her. She had been waiting for him for a while, as she found it much easier to get away from the crowd than he would have.

"Guess that answers the question on where we'll be raising this little one," Fitz said as he laid his hands on Olivia's stomach. Liv didn't respond except by placing her lips on his. "Can you believe that in a few short months, we'll be here together with no more need to hide?" He asked rhetorically as they pulled away from each other.

"It's definitely hard to believe," Liv said, given the last four years of their relationship, it seemed unfathomable to finally be at this stage. But it was a stage they were both excited to enter.

 **Hope you enjoyed :)**

 **What do you think the future holds for these two? Would love to know what you think will happen!**

 **It's also my Mum's wedding this coming weekend, so hopefully that won't stop me from updating, but who knows...all i know is i dont want to go another 3 weeks without updating (It felt like six months...i wasnt even sure i still knew how to write ahaha)**

 **Please Review :D**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys, sorry for the break my last assignment was bigger than I first thought so it stole my weekends. But anyway I hope you enjoy :)**

"What is this?" Mellie said storming into Fitz's office, her hand grasping a yellow envelope. Fitz looked up from the report he was reading over to see what his wife was referring to.

"I know it's been a long time since you've practiced but I assumed you were a good enough lawyer to recognise divorce papers when you saw them," Fitz quipped. He was just over the moon that he finally been able to serve her with those papers he didn't really care about the consequences.

"I know what they are," Mellie replied dryly. "Why do I have them?"

"And you brag about being top of our class?" He mumbled rhetorically. "Our marriage is over. It's time to make it official," Fitz said trying to hide the glee he felt by saying those words.

"A piece of paper does not make our marriage over," Mellie argued. They had been here before, but they'd always worked their way through it. Fitz just needed to see it.

"You may be right. But what does make a marriage over? Because I'm in love with someone else. I'm in a relationship with someone else. I want to marry someone else. I'm having a child with someone else. All those things and many more say 'over' to me, why don't they say it to you?"

"We've been here before Fitz, it never works out," Mellie said, but even she didn't truly believe what she was saying.

"It's different this time," Fitz said calmly. He could see the distress Mellie was feeling. While his world was finally coming together, hers was falling apart. Fitz stood up and walked over to his wife, he took the envelope from her hands, and laid the papers out on the table. "Sign the papers Mel," Fitz said holding a pen out for her to take.

"No," she said swatting the pen out of his hands and then watched as it dropped to the floor.

"Why? Why do you insist on being a bitch all the damn time?" Fitz yelled and Mellie's eyes locked with his. He could see the anger and disgust that filled her orbs and went quiet.

Neither said a word and an eerie silence filled the room. Mellie was shotting daggers at Fitz, but he was holding his own. They had both learnt in over fifteen years of marriage how to stand up to one another. And at this moment neither was going to back down. The only thing that was able to break them from their stance was the door to the office opening. They both turned to see who had entered the den.

Olivia stared on at the scene she had just walked in on, and tried to make sense of what she was seeing. "Well if it isn't the reason all this is happening," Mellie said looking bitterly upon seeing Liv.

"Excuse me?" Liv asked walking further into the room, something she wasn't sure she should do.

Fitz bent down to pick up the pen, and as he came back up attempted to give the pen to Mellie. "I already told you I'm not signing those damn papers," she said not taking the pen.

It was with those words that Liv finally understood what was playing out. He'd lived up to his word of asking Mellie for the divorce. A small smile crept to her face, but it quickly disappeared when she realised it wasn't going to be easy to get Mellie to sign on the dotted line. Though that wasn't really all that surprising. This was Mellie's last piece of real power, of course she was going to hold on to it for as long as she possible could.

"What do you want Mellie?" Liv asked. She knew while Mellie had that power she would squeeze as much as she could out of it.

"I want my husband to not have knocked up his mistress," Mellie said turning her gaze to Olivia's pregnant stomach.

"Hey," Fitz called out. He hated when anyone called Liv his 'Mistress', because she was so much more than that.

"Okay, now what about something that's actually possible?" Liv asked again.

Mellie thought over what she wanted, but nothing really came to mind. "I don't know!" She shouted frustrated.

"For starters, how about you choose how this plays out in the press? We'll agree to anything you want to say, if of course it's not detrimental to Fitz's presidency. You could say it was an amicable split or that I'm a home wrecking mistress. You could say you asked for the divorce, or that Fitz sprang it on you and you had no idea about everything happening behind your back. We could lie, tell the truth, spin any story you want. All you have to do is say the word," Liv explained. She knew it was going to be a lot more work this way, but if it got Mellie to sign those papers it was worth it.

"It's not enough," Mellie began. "You've humiliated me," she said turning to Fitz. "You've taken everything from me. You've tarnished my name and ruined the last fifteen years of my life. And you think a nice spin to the press is going to fix that?" Mellie said addressing the room. "It's not enough. It will never be enough."

"What else do you want?" Fitz asked. He'd give her almost anything she asked for. He just wanted this over with as soon as possible. Why did she make everything so difficult?

"I. Don't. Know," Mellie said through gritted teeth.

"Then how about, you go back to your office, take the papers with you, read them over and think about what you do want. Then come back when you've decided," Olivia suggested, it was the best thing she could think of for the time being. She didn't particularly want to spend any more time than she needed to with the First Lady.

"Fine," she agreed agitatedly. She hurriedly picked up the papers, and stormed out the room.

"She's not going to make this easy on us," Fitz said once the door closed.

"We knew that already," Liv reminded him. Fitz walked over to where Olivia was standing. "Hi," she smiled as Fitz placed his hand on her stomach.

"Hi," he echoed before placing his lips quickly on hers. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she answered honestly and Fitz nodded in agreement, it had been late by time she got home last night, the party and celebrations of Fitz's win went on until at least after midnight. "Also a little happy. You actually gave her the divorce papers," Liv added.

"I told you I was going to," Fitz replied.

"I know, but so many times we say we'll do something, and then someone or something will get in the way and it never happens. I'm just happy that that didn't happen this time," Liv confessed. Looking back at the last four years it was hard to see how they got here, but she was so glad they finally had.

"Well, she still has to sign the damn things," Fitz said bitterly.

"And she will. She's just holding out so she can get something out of it. You'd do the same thing if the tables were turned," Liv tried to assure him.

"Enough about Mellie," Fitz said, tired of wasting time on his wife. "I didn't think I was going to see you today, what are you doing here?"

"Wanted to see you," Liv answered.

"Really?"

"Actually, Abby left a laptop here. But I selflessly volunteer to come get it," Liv confessed.

"And I'm glad you did," Fitz said happily as he put his lips back on hers briefly. "You want to stay and help me with some work?" He asked and as she nodded he pulled her over to his desk.

 **What did you think?**

 **So if you remember that I had a comp to chose what the story I next write is, well I emailed the winners and they decided on which option to write. Well I just put up the first chapter. Its called Afire Love, so please check it out :)**

 **Please Review :D**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hiya Fabulous humans, I know the last chapter was a little too much Mellie, but hope that wasnt too bad, and I hope you like this one a little more than the last one :)**

 **Also Big thanks to those who started reading my new story 'Afire Love', it means a lot!**

Fitz knocked on the door to Olivia's apartment. He hadn't been allowed over in what felt like forever, but really had just been over two weeks. He didn't care what the press saw anymore, and neither did Olivia that much. The election was over, they were going to come out in about two months so getting caught out now didn't seem like as much of the end of the world as it did the last few weeks. Though that didn't stop them from still wanting to keep the paternity of the baby secret.

Liv opened the door, and as Fitz passed her, he brushed her cheek with his lips. Seeing Liv already in her pyjamas, he made his way to the bedroom and not the sofa. It was hard to believe that they could actually spend the night together, it was almost back to how it was before everything became messy and confusing. Olivia slid the chain back into its place and followed Fitz to her room.

"Has Mellie decided what she wants to do yet?" Liv asked sitting down on her side of the bed, as Fitz unbuttoned his shirt and took his shoes off.

"What do you think?" Fitz asked as he rolled his eyes as he thought about the person who was unfortunately still his wife.

"She's still dragging it out, we need to give her timeline. Agree by a certain date or all offers are off the table. The closer the divorce is to the birth the worse we'll come out looking," Liv said as Fitz sat down and pulled the covers over the both of them.

"I know. But I don't even want to speak to her let alone see her. She's being so hostile about all of this. She never knew how to make things easy. Everything has to be full of drama and hate with her," he said as Liv leaned into him and he place his arm around onto her opposite shoulder.

"Which we already knew. We need to come up with something that's too hard to say no to," Liv added. She was exhausted, she could have fallen asleep at the snap of her fingers. The last week she felt like she had expanded beyond possibility, so much so she couldn't imagine what it would be like in two months' time. The extra belly made doing all her regular work and everyday tasks all the more difficult and it was taking its toll at night.

"Yeah, but what?" Fitz asked hoping Liv would pull something out of her head that would solve all their problems.

"I don't know, she's your wife," Liv replied half-heartedly as her eyes began to close.

Fitz looked down upon hearing a response that wouldn't usually come from Liv, only to see she was close to being dead to the world. Fitz smiled upon seeing the women that he loved asleep on his chest. He began to look around the room, seeing if anything had changed since the last time he had been there. And weirdly something had.

"Ah Liv," Fitz said as he tried to wake her, a task not too difficult. When he saw her eyes open and staring at him he continued. "What is that?" He asked as he gestured over to the wall they were facing.

"What's what?" She asked, before looking over to where he was looking. "Oh," she breathed out after realising what he was referring too. "It's a box with a crib inside," she answered and then reclosed her eyes.

"I can tell what it is, but why is it here?" Fitz asked.

Olivia opened her eyes, and let out a sigh knowing that she wasn't going to be getting sleep like she had hoped. "The baby's going to need somewhere to sleep," she answered.

"But why is it here?" he asked again.

"Where should it be?" Liv asked while sitting up properly. She had been agonizing over making this decision and finally she had, she didn't want to be made to feel bad about it too.

"The Residence," he answered very matter of fact.

"Do you know what most expectant mothers are doing at this stage in their pregnancy? They're choosing out what colours to paint the baby's room, and what furniture should go in there. They're nesting. Do you know what I'm doing? Anything but. I'm waiting around and hoping for your wife to sign divorce papers. I'm wondering where I'm going to be living when the baby's born. I'm wondering if I should be looking for a bigger place. Or continuing to have faith that everything will all work out. We're anything but normal, and I wanted to do something normal. So I bought a crib. So no matter where I am, when our child comes, it will have somewhere to sleep," Liv said, and she watched the reaction on Fitz's face as she did.

Fitz didn't say much at first, he was mostly just taking in what she was saying. He knew everything she was saying was true, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. It was sometimes difficult to see when Liv was taking something harder than normal. She was always so strong and not forthcoming, making her extremely tough to read a lot of the time. He just wished that everything she had just said wasn't the case. From the moment he realised he loved Olivia he wanted her to be his wife and have children together. And although they were on their way to getting that half done, it was bittersweet. For one they were doing it in the wrong order. Mellie was meant to be completely out of the picture and they were meant to be making all the choices concerning the baby together. But at this current time that wasn't possible.

"You will be moved into the White House before the baby is born," Fitz said trying to soothe her fears and worries.

"But what if I'm not? There comes a time when we have to start thinking about all the possibilities. And we've reached that time," Liv stated.

"I don't want to start thinking like that yet. We're still two and a half months away from the due date, so much can happen during now and then. For all we know Mellie will sign the papers tomorrow, and we can start the ball rolling straight away," Fitz said, though knowing his wife that wasn't going to happen.

"You can continue to think like that, but I'm going to remain realistic. And if that means I'm going to be buying baby supplies by myself, I'm going to do that. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is," Liv said, shutting Fitz down. "Now, I am exhausted and I'm going to sleep, will you join me?"

"Yeah," he sighed, he knew there wasn't going to be any more discussion on this topic, not tonight anyway.

...

Liv woke to the alarm she had set for Fitz to get back to the White House, as she hit the snooze button, she slowly rolled over, only to find the bed empty. The vast amount of space in the bed confused her. Sure they had had a disagreement, but she couldn't believe he left without letting her know. She picked up her phone to see if she'd been left a message, but her notification bar was blank.

Feeling the need for a glass of water, she put her robe on and headed down the hallway. Maybe if she asked the guard dog stationed outside her apartment then he could tell her exactly when and possibly why Fitz had to leave.

But as Olivia made her way to the living room she came across a sight that was unexpected. Fitz sat asleep on the ground, his head resting on a couch cushion. And the now assembled crib in front of him. Liv was stunned. She made her way over to the sleeping President, careful not to stand on any of the tools that were scattered on the ground.

"Fitz," she said gently giving him a nudge awake.

Fitz blinked open his eyes a few times, and smiled when he saw it was Olivia waking him up, he would never get used to waking up to her beautiful face. He then realised he was still living room. "I was going to come back to bed, but…" he trailed off.

"You built the crib instead of sleeping," Liv said, her eyes wide with admiration.

"I realised you were right. We have to be realistic. But we also have to have faith it will work out, and then work hard to make sure it does," Fitz began to stand up. "So in the mindset of being realistic, I did the only thing I'm able to do. And if that means staying awake to build a crib, then so be it," he said and kissed Olivia on the lips.

 **SO what did you think?**

 **It my birthday tomorrow! (or technically today-i havent gone to bed yet) so please review, think of it as a present to me :D**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey guys, thank you to those who wished my a happy birthday last week, I had a great day with friends and family.**

Fitz sat on the sofa in the Oval, he was trying to read over a bill they were hoping to get on to the floor of the senate, the optimal word being 'trying'. But all though his best efforts, his thoughts kept being on his wife, which was strange because it was very rare that his mind even wandered over to that part of his life.

It was only after his fifth attempt at reading the same page that he realised that he had to do something to change that. Putting the stack of papers down, he left his office and made his way down the hall to the First Lady's office. Fitz didn't bother checking in with her secretary on whether she was in there, had visitors, was busy, or not. He didn't care.

Fitz opened the door, read the room and saw it was just his wife sitting behind her desk on her tablet. "Sign the papers," he said not bothering with pleasantries. "Now."

"N-no," she stuttered, not expecting to see her husband.

"It's been over a week, your time and everything I'm offering you is running out. You sign the papers now, or I start to control the narrative. I leak the news of the divorce, and that pity party you were planning the networks to throw you goes away. Now I've won all the elections I want to, public perception isn't the top of my priorities. And I think you can guess what my top priority is," Fitz demanded, standing strong like he always should have.

"You leak the divorce, I'll leak Olivia," Mellie countered, if there was one thing she knew about this whole ordeal was that Olivia did not want the pregnancy leaked, and Fitz would do anything to appease Liv.

"You could do that," Fitz said taking a seat on the couch. "You'd be doing me a favour, really. But you already know we can refute it, and you calling us out with no evidence would look weak on your part," he said not caring if what he was saying was the truth or not. Staying quiet wasn't the necessity it was a few weeks ago. And now he relished for it all to be out in the open, even though he knew they were all safer keeping it hidden.

"Now what would Olivia say about that? I'm actually surprised she's not in here with you. The two of you are always tag-teaming these moments," she said in disgust.

"I think she would agree that getting your signature on those papers is the most important thing," he replied and leaned forward. "Now, this is where I would usually ask what you want. But frankly I'm sick of waiting for that answer. So this is my offer. If you sign right now, I'll give you the Santa Barbra ranch, a substantial settlement and first choice of holidays with the kids, and on top of that we let you sign off of the story we feed to the news," he continued trying to find anything enticing to feed her.

"And if I don't sign?" Mellie asked.

"We've already gone over that," Fitz replied sitting back and smirked knowing he had backed her into a corner.

…

Olivia's phone rang as she sat in the sofa with Abby, seeing the words 'White House' jump up and down on her screen. "I need to take this," she said and Abby nodded and left her boss be. "Hi," she answered.

"You'll never guess what I'm holding in my hands right now," Fitz said passing on a greeting.

"What?" Liv asked not bothering to guess, knowing that coming up with the correct answer could take all day.

"Divorce papers. Signed by both parties," Fitz replied as if it wasn't a huge deal.

"What?" Liv said again because she mostly couldn't believe she heard him correctly. "She signed?" she questioned in disbelief, her eyes almost coming out at the sockets. "When? How?"

"It was something you said last night," Fitz began.

"Something I said?" Liv queried, for what she remembered aside for the discussion about the crib she didn't say all that much, especially something that would be enough to convince Mellie on finally putting a pen to those papers.

"That she was my wife," he stated, though he wasn't sure that would remind her, she was falling asleep when she did. "Which means she's my problem, I should be the one to handle it, and I shouldn't be looking to you for solutions. Which I am sorry for," Fitz apologised.

"It's okay. We're a team," she replied not sure why he felt the need to apologise, he hadn't done anything wrong. "So, how did you do it?"

"Went to her, told her she had taken too long, and what we were offering her had passed its expiry date. Gave her a new one time deal. It's not important the how. It's important on what we do now, moving forward," he explained.

"First we need to work out how we will release the news of the divorce, and what the circumstances are pertaining to the separation. Then slowly we are seen more publicly, until the inauguration where before the end of January we come out publically. Obviously more details and planning are needed. But once we see how the public perceives the divorce we can really start to plan," Liv said thinking through what needed to happen before the baby came.

"Do you want to come to the White House so we can work out what to do and when to do it?" Fitz asked knowing she not only had the best strategic mind of anyone he knew, but because she was also the person he trusted most in the world.

Olivia looked to her wrist for the time. "I have a meeting in about a half an hour, so I'll come by after that," she answered.

"I'll see you then," Fitz said, today had turned into a much better day than he was expecting. Not only did he get to wake up at Olivia's, and get Mellie to sign the papers, but now he got to see Liv again and finally discuss what has been years in the making. The publicity of his broken marriage.

"Fitz," Liv said before he could disconnect. "I'm really proud of you."

 **I'm back to uni this week and one of my classes is a creative writing class (where I'll have to use my own characters and such) so I dont know how much time I'll have for ffn, so I might miss a weekend update here or there when it comes to having assignments due. Hope i dont miss too many, but just in case i do, I'm super sorry.**

 **I do hope you enjoyed.**

 **Please Review :D**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey guys I am so unbelievably sorry for the lack of updates in the last few months, and although I did say I might not get to update that much, I didn't expect to be on hiatus this long. All I can say is I am officially finished my university degree and should be a little more free to write while I work out what's next.**

 **Again so sorry for the not updating in so long. I promise I hate myself more than you hate me.**

 _'_ _First Divorce'_  
 _'It's Over'_  
 _'A Marriage on the Rocks'_  
 _'Mellie Leaves'_  
 _'Presidential Bachelor'_  
 _'Inside The Broken Marriage'_  
 _'First Lady No More'_

These words splashed across the headlines of every newspaper in the country, and would soon flood the world. Pictures of an unhappy Mellie and Fitz filled the front page and an accompanying story could be found soon there after.

Olivia had every paper bought to her, and had a Google alert on. To stay on top of the whole situation she needed to make sure the narrative that had been written was what was being fed to the people. She knew it was only a matter of time before her name would become part of the story. And she wouldn't be Olivia Pope if she didn't know the exact moment that occurred.

Liv picked up the paper that was the top of the pile on the coffee table and opened to the first article.

 _In an unprecedented move, President Grant and the First Lady have not only filed for divorce, but the papers are already signed. Mellie Grant has officially moved out of the White House and is now living at Blair House. The couple released a statement on Monday regarding the separation, which stated that the election was very stressful and that led to the pair re-evaluating their marriage. They said that they had not been happy together for a while, but decided to stay together for the children and to not have this part of their lives laid out for the world to see. But it all became too much for either to handle and decided it was best to part ways now._

 _Although President Grant has been accused of infidelity in the past, not only by the media, but also his now ex-wife, the pair say that was not the reason for the divorce. Of course it would be hard to think this didn't play a role in forming cracks in the foundation for this couple. But we may never know how big a part it played in the final chapter of the First Couple's relationship._

This was the closest mention of Olivia's name yet. And although her name wasn't actually mentioned, she did know how rumours started, and a few words in a major newspaper could be wildfire. But this was a balancing act. If she or the White House reacted to it, it would show that the infidelity story had some substance. In an instance like this no word was the way to go. It was a wait and see game. She'd known fires that put them selves out. There was no point feeding the flame.  
It had been two days since the news of the divorce broke, and she's hadn't been able to see Fitz since. They both knew it was for the best. They needed some time for the story to blow over before they could be seen together, plus they needed to keep Mellie happy for as long as possible, because even though she was no longer married to Fitz, she knew all the secrets and at any point she could break the agreement and do a tell all.

The baby had been restless all day, constantly sitting on Olivia's bladder. It was as if it knew what was happening and that the chances of them living in the White House as a family had all just become a lot more likely. But although she loved feeling the baby moving, it had become a little annoyance to her work day. She couldn't focus on too much before the baby would remind her that it was there. It made getting her work done far more difficult than it had been six months ago. She knew she would have to get use to the baby's movements in order to do her job, but alas today was not that day. At a little after two she packed up her things and headed for the elevator.

As she walked onto the street she quickly identified a man waiting for her. She didn't know him. And by the looks of him he didn't look like a soon to be client. As soon as he saw her coming out he made his way over to her. He clenched his iPhone in his hand, and held the bottoms of it out for her. If she didn't know who he was before, she did now.

"Ms Pope, do you have any comments on the divorce of the First Couple?" the reporter asked. Olivia knew it was only a matter of time before she was contacted. She was a little surprised that it hadn't been earlier. And was glad that it was a sole reporter and not a crowd of people yelling questions at her while taking photo and video evidence.

"Obviously neither the President nor the First Lady would break twenty years of marriage without considerable thought, especially being in the spotlight like they are. If they believe this is the right thing for them, then I feel as Americans we should accept that, and not sensationalise this difficult situation," she answered. Liv had been prepared to get questions, especially since her and Fitz's names had been in the headlines so recently. So she hope her answer didn't come off as too rehearsed.  
"Are you at all surprised by the divorce?" he asked, and Olivia obviously had to lie in response.

"I noticed a considerable difference between the couple on this campaign compared to the last. So no, I can't say I am. However, I can say I wish them both happiness in the future, and will not be answering any more questions on the subject," Liv said and hoped the reporter would accept what she was saying and stop following her. Thankfully he did. He obviously just wanted a good quote minus the hassle, and that was what he had been given.

Olivia made it back to her apartment quickly there after, and thankfully there were no reporters waiting for her at the door to her building. As she unlocked the apartment door a sense of relief washed over her. She was free from the outside world, she could be her true self here without judgement or fear of being caught.  
Liv looked over at the crib that Fitz had put together instead of getting sleep and few nights ago. A smile filled her face. Looking at the white frame reminded her that the chances of needing the baby to sleep here once it was born was getting slimmer and slimmer. Just what she wanted.

No sooner had she sat down on the couch, her cell lit up, and 'White House' bounced up and down on the screen. Olivia hit the screen to answer the call and hoped it was Fitz wanting to speak and not someone else like Cyrus or whoever.

"Hi," Fitz said as knowing she was on the line.

"Hi," Liv grinned as she manoeuvred to make herself more comfortable. Her hand landing on top of her still growing belly.

"I just wanted to check in, haven't been able to talk to you much in the last few days. I've been run in a hundred different directions with all this spin we've had to do," Fitz said. One of the stipulations to Mellie agreeing to anything was that Olivia or her firm wasn't allowed to handle the situation. Fitz and Liv agreed, because it frankly looked better if Olivia was no where near the mess. But she of course was still working behind the scenes, she couldn't not.

"I can imagine," Liv said.

"So how are you? How's our baby?" Fitz asked. The good thing about a secure line was that he knew no one could be listening in or use what he was saying against him.

"We're fine. It was moving around like crazy earlier, but I think it's sleeping now. Thankfully," Liv said. She hadn't felt too much movement since she left her office, which was ironic as that was the whole reason why she left.

Fitz laughed and the let out a sigh. "Do we have to call it 'it'. It sounds so...impersonal," he said.

"I lack the ability to use pronouns around you, remember? 'It' is all I got. Do you have another suggestion?" Liv asked.

"I guess not," Fitz said knowing there was no winning this discussion.

"I've been trying so unbelievably hard not to slip up around you. But if you can think of something to call it, I'll use it. Until then it's an it," Liv replied. There was so many times in the last month where she almost said the appropriate pronoun, but caught herself just in time. Though she did agree- 'it' did sound wrong. Especially seeing as she knew what it actually was. But she was relentless to keep her promise to Fitz, she owed him that much.

 **What did you think? Its been so long since I've really written anything I'm not sure if I still have what I onc head. Feedback on this chapter would be greatly appreciated.**

 **Thanks for reading**

 **Please Review :D**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey guys, look it hasn't been an extremely long time between updates, be proud.**

 **Thank you for those who are reviewing, its great to know you are loving this story. and for those of you who aren't review I hope you stilll love reading this story as much as I love writing it.**

Olivia sat in the back of the town car that was sent for her. The windows were blackened and it was near impossible for the outside world to see inside. She's put up a little fight when the car had pulled up outside her apartment building, but soon quickly gave up and slid across the backseat. There were a few papers in view. Fitz and Mellie were still making the headlines. Each paper gave their own in depth version of the First Couple's life leading up to the divorce, they were all wrong.

This boasted well for all parties. They were spinning the tale, and the media was eating it up as if there was no tomorrow. Olivia reached out for The Washington Post, which was now a difficult task given that she was holding a basketball where her flat stomach had once been. She flipped to the first page that had a mention of Fitz.

 **The President Retreats**

 _With the news of the First Couple's divorce being made public a week ago, President Grant is leaving the White House for some time off. All though this is tradition after the re-election of a sitting President, the timing does lead people to believe this is due to the divorce. The President will be heading to Camp David for the weekend, where he is believed to working on the next term of his presidency. Grant will arrive Friday afternoon and is expected to stay until at least Monday. As Camp David is closed to the public, including the press, it can be deduced that President Grant is using this opportunity to have some time away from the public scrutiny and perception that has come since the divorce._

Olivia laughed. Her name had yet to be mentioned. That meant the first part of the plan had gone off without a hitch, and that meant it was almost time for part two. Part two was Fitz and Olivia being seen in public together, just a little bit more. Though this wouldn't start occurring until at least after Christmas, and possibly not until the new year. It all depended on when the 'divorce scandal' would be old news, or not as making as many headlines. Of course being seen more publicly did not mean being out as a romantic couple, no they just wanted the world to know they were close friends, closer than they realised.

Of course this meant that in the mean time, there could be no inkling of anything more than old colleagues. Meaning they could not be seen publicly together for some time. Something they had mastered years ago. Fitz had been sneaking over to Olivia's apartment for quite a while. But the media was on his tail almost 100% of the time, just looking for a new and different reason for the divorce, so his midnight White House escapes were no longer permitted. It had been weeks since Fitz and Olivia had been able to see each other, the phone calls were no longer cutting it. And to know this was going to be going on for another few weeks was agony on them both.

Olivia thought back to the last phone call she had with Fitz. It was only an hour or so ago, just before she got in the town car. He'd been able to convince her oh so easily to get into the car he had sent. And that was how she was on her way to a place she had only been a handful of times. The last time she had been to Camp David she had gone by helicopter, but that was not an option. One, because she was now over seven months along in her pregnancy and flying was no longer a possibility, and two, the weather had been terrible for the last few days and flying would not be safe.

Finally the car came to its first stop. Liv's agent showed his identification to the guard manning the entrance, and the gate opened, allowing them to continue on their path. Trees filled both sides of the driveway, making it feel even more secluded then she remembered. Leaves had fallen to the ground, making a blanket of reds and yellows. The car was filled with a late fall early winter smell, a mixture of dead leaves and the crisp cold. The car came to another stop, and the agent turned off the engine, and Liv knew they were finally there. The door was opened and a hand outstretched for her to take. She held on as she swang her legs out. Fitz stood in front of Liv and refused to let go of her hand, even when she was safely out of the car.

"Thank you for coming," he said as he placed his lips on her cheek. Obviously there were people around, and he didn't think it appropriate to openly display their affection. Even if thye were paid to be discrete.

"Of course," Liv replied. At this point in time there was very little chance of Liv giving up a whole weekend with Fitz. Especially when the chances of getting caught were at an all time low, and the consequences weren't dire. This didn't feel like sneaking around, well not as much as him coming over in the middle of this night usually did. Plus if something Presidential came up they wouldn't have to leave. There was very little he couldn't do from here.

Fitz led Liv up to the main cabin, the President's cabin. In the past, out of safety and discretion, she had only been in the main cabin for work. If they were ever together in a not so President and Communication Director way they would be in Liv's cabin. There was less chance of getting caught that way. No one ever rushed in to Liv's cabin in a panic, the same could not be said for Fitz's. It showed a new level of their relationship. It showed he was an unmarried man who could be with anyone he so choose. Not to mention everyone currently on site knew about Fitz and Liv's relationship, and had for a while.

"So here it is," Fitz exclaimed as they entered the part of the cabin that constituted as the living room.

"You are aware I've been here before, right?" Olivia asked, the place hadn't changed in the last three years, there was no reason for him to announce the room as if it was an unveiling.

"Well I know somewhere you haven't been," Fitz smirked and continued leading Olivia around. He led her down passageway, still holding her hand. Olivia smiled knowing exactly where he was taking her. "I always wanted you in here with me," Fitz said as he opened the door and let Liv into his bedroom.

"You're right, I have definitely not been here," Liv nodded, and Fitz pulled her in closer to him. He brushed some hair out of her face as he stroked her cheek. He lifted her chin up with a single finger, leaned in and laid his lips on to hers. Liv continued the kiss, not wanting it to end. She couldn't even remember the last time they had had this much privacy. She didn't want it to end. Here they could truly be themselves. Show their true selves, show their true love.

"I wish I thought of this earlier," Fitz said as he broke the kiss and wrapped her in his arms. He was referring to being alone at Camp David with Olivia.

"It wouldn't have been possible earlier," Liv reminded him. There was no way he could have left for a weekend while he was campaigning, and he couldn't have gone incognito when the news of the divorce first broke, it would look as if he was hiding, and that didn't fit into the plan.

"True," he agreed. "But I still can't believe we get to spend a whole weekend together without worrying about what other people see," it was unbelievable. The timing just worked. It was as if everything had fallen into place just for this weekend. As if the universe knew exactly what Fitz and Liv needed, and so desperately wanted.

"I know," Liv smiled and leaned her head into his chest. He pulled her closer in order to keep the warmth between them. She hoped the weekend would be unbelievable. And the little kick she felt told her that it would be.

 **Woah, whose ready for some Camp David fun, with a side of no Mellie or Cyrus or Press?**

 **Let me know!**

 **Please Rerview :D**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey Guys, the reviews you are leaving are everything! I love them so much. and I love you for reviewing!**

Olivia woke to the smell of pine throughout the room, and although she wasn't too fond of the smell, she was fond of where she was laying, and whom she was with. It had been hard to believe that she and Fitz actually got a chance to have some proper private time together, but as the night went on it started to feel more believable. And now waking up in the same bed as him, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Good morning," Fitz said when he saw Olivia's eyes open. He'd been watching her sleep. He loved seeing her so peaceful and carefree. There wasn't many times while she was awake that he could see that, so he took every opportunity he could while she was asleep.

"Morning," Olivia smiled back, and closed the distance between their mouths.

"So I was thinking we could have breakfast, after which I'll have to do a little bit of work, and once that's done, we can spend the rest of the day together," Fitz suggested for the days itinerary.

"Sounds good," Liv replied, it wasn't a surprise that Fitz had to work. You couldn't run a country and have a full day off.

"Do you want to go eat?" Fitz asked.

"Not yet," Liv whispered seductively and their lips met for the second time that day.

...

Fitz sat on the sofa, while Olivia sat in between his legs and reclined into him. They decided to just have a lazy day enjoying the time together while they had it. "We should talk about names," Liv said. She'd been ready to broach the subject for a while, and thought this was a good time to do it. She wanted to know what Fitz thought. She wanted to make the decision as partners. And knew that the time they spent together was going to be limited after they left Camp David. She didn't want to be sitting in a hospital bed with a baby in her arms wishing she had had this conversation sooner.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Fitz said as his hand brushed up and down Olivia's arm.

"Why's that?" She asked a little confused. There was only a little over two months until her due date, and there was never going to be a better moment. She wanted time to have this discussion, so they both could think about what the other suggested, and not just throw around names at the birth.

"Firstly, you know the baby's gender. I don't. You fight too hard for one name and you'll unintentionally let it slip," he explained. He could only see that discussion going one way and it what not a direction he wanted to take.

"And secondly?" Liv asked, wanting to know the other reason he was using to rebut having the conversation.

"Just firstly," Fitz replied. This was the only reason he could really think of why they shouldn't have the conversation. But he did feel strongly about his first and only point. "Look Liv, you would have obviously thought about the name more for a girl if we're having a girl, same thing for a boy. If you come in with one name weaker than the other, then I'll know," he added. It wasn't that he didn't want to have this conversation, there was a time where he could only dream about picking out baby names with Olivia. But they were in agreement that he wouldn't find out the gender, and he was going to keep her to that.

"Fitz, there was a time when I, like you, didn't know what we were having. And in that time I came up with names for either outcome," Liv replied

"But you'd be more attached to the gender specific one," Fitz accused. There was no way she couldn't have been.

"Maybe a little. But I can hide that," Olivia said, and Fitz nodded. Olivia was definitely good at keeping her feelings hidden from him, when she needed to.

"Okay, what if I suggest something completely outrageous, that you know we will never have to use, so you just agree?" Fitz asked.

"What do you mean?" Liv questioned as she sat up to face him.

"Say I suggested something like, I don't know, Petunia, and you didn't immediately cringe at the thought of naming our daughter that, I'd know that was because we were having a son," Fitz said expressing his thoughts.

"I wouldn't do that. I want to have an open and honest conversation about this," Liv said trying to console his worries.

"If you agreed to my horrible girl name, you would be free to name the boy whatever you wanted, without making me feel as if I didn't have some real input in the decision. It would work out perfectly for you," Fitz explained the situation as he saw it.

"I'm not here to play mind games, Fitz," Olivia said and stood up. "I thought it would be nice to pretend we're a normal couple for a moment, and pick out the name for our child. But obviously I was wrong," she said and turned and walked away.

"Hey, when did this turn into a fight?" Fitz asked as he quickly stood up to follow her.

"Maybe when you accused me of manipulating you," Liv yelled as she turned around to answer him.

"You're always manipulating me," Fitz spat back, and Olivia's mouth dropped.

"Excuse me?" Liv questioned. She couldn't believe what she just heard, and wanted to give Fitz a chance to take back what he said.

Her eyes zeroed in on Fitz and he almost shivered under her death stare, but he decided not to back down. "You heard me right. You're always manipulating me. I don't think you can go any extended period of time without trying to manipulate me. So it's not too hard to believe that you would be trying to do that now, after all you manipulated me into thinking my child was dead so you could get what you wanted," he replied, and shocked himself. He didn't think he would be so honest, but was glad he said it. It had to be put out there.

"Are you serious?" Olivia asked completely dumbfounded that they were talking about this again. It had been a month, and Fitz hadn't brought it up since they left Vermont. She really thought he understood and had forgiven her. When Fitz didn't immediately take back what he had just said, Liv knew he was. "I can't believe you just said that to me. You know why I did that. I did that for you. I did that for me. And I did that for the baby," Liv added.

"You manipulated me. You put me through hell. You broke me. And you expect me to thank you because you I'm going to be President for another four year?" He questioned.

"Why haven't you bought this up earlier?" She would have thought that if this was still bothering him, he would have talked to her sooner.

"When? In the very limited time we've had together? Because thanks to you, there isn't much of it these days," he continued,

"Thanks to me? You think I like hiding this, that I liked holding a press conference and implying that this child wasn't yours? Do you think that when I pictured having a child I'd be in this situation. That the father would be a married man, or a man going through a divorce. Do you think I like being the other woman, the hidden second family? Do you think anyone would truly want this? What am I saying? Of course you do. Because you believe I manipulated you into this situation," Liv ranted, her words getting stronger and louder with each sentence she finished. She had worked herself up, well actually Fitz had. She hated feeling like this. She hated fighting with him. She hated knowing he hated her for doing the wrong thing for the right reason. And she hated the shooting feeling that was going through her stomach.

"Oh, and you think I like this? If we did it my way, we wouldn't have to be hiding out at Camp David," Fitz began getting geared up to match Olivia's attack.

"Stop," Liv breathed. Fitz examined her, thinking that she was just trying to cut him off so she could start again. But when he noticed Olivia's hand placed on her lower stomach, he knew that wasn't the case. "Ow," she said as she folded in on the pain. This wasn't some extreme form of kicking, this signified something out of the norm. She didn't know all that much, but she knew that.

"Livvie?" Fitz said as he rushed over to where she was standing.

"Something's wrong," she said as she tried to breathe through the pain. Fitz placed a hand on the small of her back and led her over to the sofa that had been sitting on not that long ago.

"Okay, you need to breathe," he said. He knew Olivia was stressed and that there was a chance if she calmed down the pain would go away. He hated that he had worked her up. If something major happened to either of Olivia or the baby, he wouldn't ever forgive himself. He continued rubbing he back, not knowing what else to do.

"It shouldn't hurt this much," Liv said and the pain was evident on her face. "You need to get someone. A doctor," Liv said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She had no ide what was happening. She was fine just a minute ago. The thought of what this could be frightened her, and although she didn't want to think about it, it was all she could do.

"Right," Fitz said as he stood up, and rushed over to the door. "I need a doctor," he said to the secret service agent that stood on the other side. "Now!" Fitz exclaimed and watched as the agent started talking into his head piece. When given the nod, he quickly went back to Olivia's side. "It's alright. Everything's going to be alright."

 **Oh no!**

 **What do you think's going to happen?**

 **Let me know. Love to hear your feedback.**

 **Please Review :D**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hey Guys, still absolutely loving the reviews, I love the theories you all have they're so fun to read!**

Olivia tried to breathe through the pain, however the stress was getting to her. She tried to recall anything from her baby book that could explain what was happening , but her mind was a blank. A tear dampened her cheek, she was terrified. It was too early to have the baby, if this was early labour she knew the chances of survival weren't great. Nothing was happening the way it was meant to. She had a plan. The plan was good. The plan was going to work. This was not a part of the plan. But neither was having a fight with Fitz.

Ten minutes ago things were good. Things were the way they were meant to be. They were lying on the couch together, he was rubbing her belly, and she couldn't remember a time recently that she had been that blissfully happy. And then she brought it up. A seemingly harmless topic of conversation, that didn't have anything like the reaction she had expected. She expected a little disagreement. That was to be a given. The image of the two of them picking out baby names and laughing the other off had been in her mind since she was up in Vermont. She wanted happy. She wanted joyful. She wanted normal. She didn't want this.

Fitz continued to slide his hand up and down her back. He was trying to do whatever he could to comfort her. He regretted not just having the conversation. It was a little price to pay, if this could have been avoided. And why was he so anti the baby name conversation. Was his reasons really that well thought out?

"I'm. Sorry. I. Shouldn't. Have. Brought. It. Up." Liv said in-between breaths. She wanted to make up before anything happened. Because no matter the outcome they needed to be a team. And their track record showed they didn't work all that well together when they were in the middle of a fight.

"Don't apologise," Fitz tried to soothe. He didn't want Olivia to feel like she had any of the blame. She needed to calm down, and if she felt that this was her fault, she wouldn't stop stressing out. "I was being irrational. It's all my fault," he couldn't believe he had forgotten the first rule-Don't fight with a pregnant woman.

Liv began to breathe to the rhythm of Fitz's hand stroke. It was still a little faster than she normally breathed, but anything would be a major improvement compared to how she had just been. "Can we talk about something else?" Liv asked, she wanted to be distracted. She needed it.

"Okay, um," Fitz thought of a topic changer, but nothing really was coming to mind. How could he talk about something else when he was this panicked. He knew he needed to say something, for Liv and for the baby. "We, ah, should have the numbers to get the 'Brighter Futures For All' bill passed through the Senate," Fitz said as the first thing came to his mind. He wasn't sure if this was what Liv meant by talk about something else, but he hoped it was.

"Good, that's good. What about the House?" She asked, and Fitz knew he had picked a good distraction topic. Political talk to Olivia was what sports talk was to most men.

"Nothing to worry about there, we control the House. Anyone who voted against this bill, won't have a leg to stand on when it comes to the constituents," Fitz explained, though he knew Olivia already knew this.

"By the next election, this will be old news, they could hope it will be swept under the rug and forgotten about by then," Liv replied. She just wanted to make sure he had all his bases covered. This was an important bill. She didn't wanted it to be taken to the trash by cockiness and an overestimation.

"Doesn't matter. Republicans will go for it, because they don't want to go against the party, and Democrats eat this stuff for breakfast. I'm not worried. Cyrus isn't worried. The Whips aren't worried. So neither should you," Fitz said, he knew Liv was just trying to help, but it wasn't necessary. When they won the election, they ultimately passed the bill. "Now East Sudan, that's something we should be worried about. The meeting today showed some troubling drone shots. Nothing for alarm yet, but the Generals and State are working together to control the situation, and they're going to keep me updated on all the goings on," he continued.

"Just what we need, another country trying to make its mark on the world stage," Liv said sarcastically. If she was anyone else she would have worried over the thought of this, but Olivia was just happy for how much this topic was calming her. It gave her something to think about, something other than the terrible thoughts of what could be happening to her baby.

"We've known for a while that-" Fitz began but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he called, silently hoping it was the doctor he had requested. It might have only been a few minutes since they had called for help, but time felt as if it had stopped.

The doctor, or really the Marine with the most medical training rushed to Fitz and Liv's side. "Mr President, what seems to be the problem?" He asked not really sure who to direct the question at. Protocol meant addressing the President first, however he could tell by the pain splashed across the pregnant woman's face, that the President was not the one requiring his help.

"She started having shooting pains in her stomach about five minutes ago," Fitz answered, since the question was directed at him, though he my no means wanted to speak for Olivia.

"Alright, can you show me where the pain is?" The Marine requested turning his attention to Olivia, and she pointed to the lower part of her stomach.

"Okay, now how far along are you?" he asked.

"A little over seven months," she answered. For seven months she had held this child inside her, she wanted this baby. She had become attached, and she couldn't bare the thought of losing it.

"I'm just going to do a little examination, try to find the cause," he said and took Olivia's arm to feel her heartrate at her wrist. "I know this is concerning, but I need you to slow your breathing," he said as he immediately noticed how fast her pulse was. Olivia wanted to roll her eyes, that was what she had been trying to do. Olivia took a large and deep breath, followed by another, and then another. The room sat in silence as Olivia breathed slowly for a over a minute. "That's great, a few more and you'll be feeling a little better," he said.

"What is going on?" Fitz asked, he need reassurance that everything was going to be okay. And if he couldn't have that, then he wanted to know as soon as possible what was happening.

"it's too early to tell, sir. There is a chance this could be premature labour. Or Braxton-Hicks contractions, they aren't uncommon in your third trimester. Or it could be stress induced pain. Sometimes when too much stress hits at once unexpectedly it can cause this sort of pain. Unfortunately I don't have any of the machines that could help indicate what it is. I would suggest a hospital. But that won't be necessary if it is one of the last two options. Is the pain dying down?" The Marine asked Olivia.

She thought for a moment about the sharp pain that had been shooting through her, and how it was now down to a dull stab. There seemed to be no real cause for concern anymore, although she did still want to be completely sure before being completely comfortable. "It is," she nodded.

"Good, I'm going to stay with you a little while longer to make sure everything is all fine, but I think if you continue breathing like you are, and drink a glass of water, you'll be feeling much better," he said. He could gather by how just a few deep breaths had helped the reason for the pain was due to stress, but he didn't want to pry any further into their relationship than he already had. "I think you should make an appointment with your doctor as soon as you get back home, just for a second opinion. It's better to be safe than sorry," he said, and both Olivia and Fitz nodded along in agreement. "I'll be right outside, if anything doesn't feel right, call me in immediately. I'll come in in twenty minutes to do another check up.

Olivia and Fitz watched was the Marine left the room. Fitz took Olivia's hand in his, he wanted to comfort her, but also needed the sense of relief that holding on to Oliva usually brought him. "I am so-" Fitz began but Olivia cut him off.

"Do not apologise. This was no more your fault than mine," Olivia said, turning to face him, to show that she held no resentment towards him.

"I shouldn't have said what I did," Fitz replied. No matter how happy he was about the outcome, he still couldn't believe that all this was his fault. He shouldn't have yelled at Olivia, what was he thinking?

"You had a right to tell me how you were feeling. And I agree you didn't tell me in the best way, but I needed to know. I just wish you told me earlier. I will forever be sorry for the way I handled things, and for the lies I told. And I know we might never see eye to eye on that, but we need to tell each other how we're feeling and what is bothering us. We have a hard enough time as is, we don't need to be making it harder," Olivia said.

"I want to trust you, I really do. I don't want to have to think of everything you're saying as lie, but its hard not to, when you can lie to me so easily. I don't want to think of you manipulating me, but it has happened multiple times. I really did think I had moved passed this, but I was wrong," he said calmly. Liv said she wanted to know, and he did not want to repeat what just happened.

"Do you think you will ever be able to truly accept this?" Olivia asked.

"We've fought before, and we've always forgiven each other. I assume this time will be no different," Fitz replied. "I just want to say. It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I know you sometimes have ulterior motives," he confessed. There was no one in the world he trusted more than Olivia, he needed her to understand that. This wouldn't work if she didn't.

"Seems we both have things to work on," Olivia smiled softly.

"But we'll work on them together," Fitz said as he placed a peck on Olivia's cheek.

 **What do you think?**

 **So if you guys want to throw some baby names out, for either a boy or a girl (Fitz doesn't know, and neither will you ahah- I like Olivia do know, however if I hear a super awesome name for which every one it isn't I might consider switching)**

 **Please Review :D**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey guys, I know its been a very long time since I updated, and believe me I feel bad about it. But there is a good reason. Since I last updated I have moved house three times (approx a month in each). I moved to a different state, and have finally gotten settled into my own apartment. I felt I could not write when I was living with a lot of people (Kind of need to be alone to write) as I always felt the need to be socialising with who I was living with. The reason I moved states is because I started studying again, and the course I wanted was not offered in my home town (this might not sound big cause I know people move for uni/college all the time, but in Australia its very rarely done- unless you live in the outback- which I did not)**

 **So again I am very sorry for taking so long, I'm sure I've lost some readers, I hope not but I'm sure its inevitable with such a long hiatus. Well that's all I can think of. Enjoy.**

Fitz sat up in bed reading over a report that had been given to him, just an hour earlier. It was nothing too concerning, which is why he didn't feel guilty stealing peeks of the sleeping form that was Olivia lying beside him. Since the afternoon all had been uneventful, though he wouldn't tell her, he was handling her with kid gloves. He didn't want to feel the pain he had when Olivia told him she lost the baby all those months ago, and although it wasn't real and everything worked out, he couldn't imagine what would happen if they went through that again, but for real this time.

The afternoon scare pulled him in line, he had to leave the past behind him and look to unbelievable future they were creating, together. And it would be. It would be an unimaginable, unbelievable, and an excellent future together. But all three were needed to get there. So if that meant putting the pain Olivia had caused him aside forever, it was something he was willing to do. Because that was what was best for everyone. Him, Olivia, and the baby.

Olivia rolled over and was lying on her back. Fitz could see the blanket move up and down over her stomach. He reached out to pat it, but let his hand hover slightly over the bump. He didn't want to wake her. She needed her rest, especially after what happened today. Fitz brought his hand back and turned the next page of the brief.

"Why are you still awake?" Olivia said as she opened her eyes slowly.

"Needed to finish this. Did the light wake you?" Fitz asked looking down towards Liv.

"It doesn't take much to wake me at the moment. Rolling over too fast, or slow, not being positioned just right, you know. It just you're usually asleep or at the White House and don't notice," Liv explained and began to sit up.

"Which was it this time?" Fitz asked, he decided to ignore the pang of guilt that went through him for not being there.

"Position," she answered and started to stand.

"Wait, Liv you don't need to leave, I'll turn the light off if it bothering you. I can finish reading in the morning," Fitz said not believing she was leaving their bed for something that could be so easily taken care of.

"What?" Liv asked, still half asleep and not completely understanding what Fitz had just said. "I'm just going to the bathroom," she added as she turned back around to look at Fitz.

"Oh," he said nodding understanding what was happening, and how he should stop jumping to conclusions. "Right."

Fitz continued reading the brief while Liv was away, and he had just turned to the final two pages when she came back into the room. Liv came to sit back on the bed, and pulled the covers up over her, the sudden coldness in the air hit her once she had left the warmth of the bed.

Fitz skimmed the last page and put the report down on his bedside table. He waited until he could see Liv had settled before turning the light off. Fitz slid down into he bed, and placed his arms over Liv's.

"You're arms are cold," Liv said as their skin touched.

"Sorry," Fitz apologised as he pulled them away from her.

"I didn't say you had to take them away," she replied, making Fitz smile and move his arms back into place. Liv closed her eyes, and tried getting back to sleep, while Fitz just counted the deep breaths she was taking. "I can't sleep," Liv said as her eyes shot back open less than a minute after they closed.

"Why not?" Fitz asked, he was a little worried for the response. Liv could have a million things on her mind as once, and he wasn't too sure he wanted to have a conversation about what happened today right now.

"The baby's awake. Keep's moving," she answered.

"Is there anything I can do?" Fitz asked.

"Probably not," Liv replied. Even in the dark she knew Fitz's face had just fallen. "You could talk, the baby likes your voice," She added, though she was a little worried that his voice would make the baby do somersaults and not fall back to sleep, but that was something she was willing to risk.

"I have a better idea. We both talk. About names," Fitz said, and Liv immediately rolled over to see if he was serious.

"If you're doing this to make me happy, it's fine it can wait. I don't want to get into an argument again. It's not worth it," Liv said cautiously.

"No, you were right, it's something we need to discuss, and I want to. And when will we get a better time?" Fitz replied to the shock of Liv.

"Okay then," she said, and began to sit up. Fitz copied, and then turned the light on.

"So, ah..." Fitz began, not really knowing where to start.

"If it's a boy, I want his name to be 'Thomas'. First name , middle name, I don't mind, but it has to be in there," Liv said firmly. "I know family names are important to you, but Fitzgerald is your grandfather, your father, your son. Thomas is just you," she continued.

Fitz smiled, he was over the moon that Olivia would want to name their son after him. "Thank you Livvie," he said as he kissed her on the top of her head. He was deeply touched at the sentiment.

"What about you? What were you thinking for a boy?" Liv asked, interested to see what wanted.

"I've got a lot, but I don't think we need them," Fitz was happy with 'Thomas', so it seemed like there was no need for further discussion.

"I want to hear them," Liv said.

"Okay...ah...I was thinking something like, Louis, Christopher, Henry, or Oliver. But I like Thomas," he said, and Liv shook her head a little in frustration. She wanted to have a discussion, not be given what she wanted straight away.

"We'll need a middle name. Which do you like the best?" Liv asked.

"Honestly...Henry," Fitz said. He liked strong names, plus it had the added bonus of being a little presidential.

"Thomas Henry. Henry Thomas. I like both," Liv said, trying both names out.

"Me too," he said replaying both names in his head, though he was sure it would probably end up with Thomas being the first name. "So what are you thinking for a girl?"

"It definitely wasn't as easy picking for a girl. I keep coming up with new ones I want. Like Eleanor, Isabella, or Madison. Which all lend themselves to great nicknames. But I keep coming back to Grace. I don't know why, I just like it," Liv said. She wanted a name that would create a shorter name easily. She could predict that the public would always be in their lives. But one thing the public wouldn't know really was that Fitz called her Livvie, that was theirs. So when the papers write about their child, they'll write about Eleanor and not their Ellie, for example. That was why she always changed her mind about Grace. Although she loved it, it wasn't exactly what she wanted.

"Grace," Fitz said running the word through his mouth, to see if it sounded right.

"Did you have any suggestions?" Liv asked.

"Unlike the boys, I only ever had one name in mind. Georgia," Fitz said, and hearing it out loud made him like it even more.

"Georgia? We can't name our child after a state," Liv replied.

"At least it's a state we won in," Fitz laughed.

"Too political, we'll offend the other states," Liv said with a straight face. She was thinking about the bad optics it would create.

"What? Arizona or Dakota? How bout Carolina? That has a good ring to it," Fitz said joking around, knowing they would never name their child that.

"Carolina is too close to my middle name, I don't want it," Liv said in all seriousness, not realising that Fitz was kidding.

"So we can use my exact middle name for a boy, but can't use something a little close to yours for a girl, seems like a double standard," Fitz said with a grin, and Liv finally read what his face meant. She now felt in on the joke.

"So why Georgia?" Liv asked, realising she never gave him an opportunity to explain his choice.

"Because it was the place we were first inappropriate," Fitz said as he took Liv's hand. She smiled at the memory of that night on the bus. There was no way she could have imagined that they would be here the first time she called him Fitz and not Governor. How things had changed in the last four years. "You don't like it."

"I like it. It's just, you know, optics," Liv said.

"We shouldn't pick our child's name because it will offend the least amount of people. We should pick it because we love it, and think it would be a good fit. I happen to think Georgia is a good fit. We like it. It means something to us. And for those two reasons I think its a good name for our child," Fitz said. If Liv could come up with a real reason, not a political one, to veto it, he would listen.

"Georgia Grace."

"Grace Georgia?" Fitz asked, flipping the names around like they did with the boy's.

"No. Georgia Grace," to Olivia it sounded better, it flowed right.

"Did we really just pick our child's name?" Fitz asked. He was shocked, picking names with Mellie had never been so easy. There was never any give or take. He liked this way a lot better. He wondered what he had been so afraid of this afternoon. It seemed so extremely stupid now.

"I think so," Liv said with a smile.

"So in two months, little Thomas Henry, or Georgia Grace will be entering the world," Fitz beamed. It felt real before. But now he could feel it. The only way it going to feel more real than this, would be when he's holding their baby in his arms.

 **So what did ya'll think. I hope it was good, and that you enjoyed it. I did steal some of your suggestions for names.**

 **Tell me what you think about their choices.**

 **Please Review :D**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hey Guys thanks for the feedback on the last chapter, and I'm glad you like the names. Enjoy this update.**

The weekend at Camp David was over sooner than either Olivia or Fitz wanted. They had to return to their regular lives, which did not at all feel regular. It meant again pretending that there was nothing going on between the pair. And after the weekend where they could be free to be a normal couple anything less was going to feel wrong. Not that it didn't always, but now it was going to be exasperated.

They were still in the first phase of their plan- handle the rollout of the divorce and don't be seen together. That was now easier said than done. It was less then a month until they could begin on phase two- being seen in public together. But that was going to be a few weeks, for both of them. If it was completely up to him, they'd be public now, but Olivia desperately wanted to wait until after the Electoral College casted their ballots. There was a slim chance that if there was some public outrage before that, the College would decide to vote for Sally. A slim chance is still a chance, and Liv wanted to be 100% certain nothing could effect Fitz's second term.

This was a time Fitz didn't want to miss, but was going to need to. He wanted to be there for Olivia, whatever she wanted, he wanted to be the one to give it to her. He wanted to go to the final doctor's appointment, and pick out baby furniture and the itty bitty clothes in neutral colours. He wanted to be there just in case Liv went into pre-term labour. He wanted to be the first to know, he didn't want to find out via call while she was either on her way to the hospital or already there. He wanted to be there for the birth of their child.

He just had to keep reminding himself that Olivia's due date was still two months away, and the chances of coming this early weren't high. He needed to keep busy, and luckily as President, that wasn't all that hard. When Fitz returned from Camp David he decided to start the ball rolling on anything he promised in the campaign and everything he had wanted to get done. It was the perfect time.

He called Cyrus into the Oval and started brainstorming. They could start signing some executive orders or drawing up some bills. Congress was almost in recess so it would be best to get to them before the went on holiday break. Or even have some things ready when their session began again. This made their days long, he saw countless aides and lobbyists, all people wanting to get their own agenda through.

Olivia was also working hard, though not for the exact same reasons as Fitz. She didn't so much need the distraction as need to get her business in order before she went on maternity leave. Thankfully while she was in Vermont she and Abby had worked out a seemingly great system. Abby had stepped up and had really proven herself, Liv felt confident leaving OPA in Abby's hands. And Abby was proud to have that honour.

It was only when she returned home each night that she would let herself think of Fitz and the baby. Of course the baby never was actually out of her mind, every time she looked down there was a big fat reminder staring her in the face.

Fitz called every night when it was late enough. Olivia would usually stay up knowing there would soon be an incoming call. But there were other nights she just couldn't stay awake any longer. She never heard the phone ring on those night. She was sure it did, but she was too deep in sleep for it to register.

They had been doing this for almost a week a half. Olivia was changing into her pyjamas, ready for bed when her phone rang. "Hey, just give me a minute," Liv said. She was only half dressed and by time she had fully clothed her whale of a belly and got to her cell the call would have rang out. And it really did take her a full minute to be back on the phone. "Sorry, I'm back," Liv said as she put the phone to her ear and settled into bed.

"It's alright," Fitz said, just knowing Liv was on the other end of the line was fine by him, made them feel closer than they really were. "So how's your day been?" Fitz asked.

"Just dealing with some clients who have some outstanding debts, they weren't big amounts so we let them slide for maybe a bit too long," Liv answered.

"I thought you always charged upfront, or is that just when you're consulting for the White House and me?" Fitz asked.

"Well I know you can pay upfront. And what you pay doesn't depend on the quality of my work or the outcome," Liv explained, she was surprised that they had never discussed OPA's business practices, but they were usually talking about more important things. This was just chit chat, there was only so much planning they could do over the phone.

"So, in all likelihood you've been wrongly charging me all these years," Fitz said with a hint of a joking accusation.

"Yeah, for a client of your calibre and the complicated problems I have to fix. I undercharge you. So if you want to complain I can send you a new invoice when I get into the office tomorrow," Liv said, but Fitz knew she didn't mean it.

"But you have to admit a lot of the things you have to 'fix' involve you," Fitz added.

"And that's why you get a cheaper rate," Liv replied. But in all honesty she didn't charge him what the cases deserved because it was Fitz and it just felt wrong to charge the full amount.

"Have I thanked you for all you do for me recently?" Fitz asked, knowing if he had it would never be enough. She did everything in him, and he felt like he could never repay her.

"When you didn't concede, that was thanks enough," Liv said, though she wasn't sure if that was right to say. She was sure that wasn't a sore topic anymore, but she wondered if deep down he still blamed her for that.

"I particularly don't think that was enough, but if you want to be even, I'll let you have it," Fitz said, though he knew he would always be in Olivia's debt. There was a silence between the pair, they both had smiles equally plastered across their face. It was hard to find the happy in a situation like this but they so often did, and they relished in it whenever they had the chance. "Only two more weeks," Fitz said.

"Until?" Liv asked, she wasn't too sure what he was referring to, there was so many days they were counting down until, but she couldn't think of a date that was that close.

"Until Phase 2 can begin. You said after Christmas. Christmas is two weeks away," Fitz said full of the glee the season sung about.

"Don't remind me," Liv said. She was planning to be more like the Grinch than one of the Who's these Holidays. She just couldn't get into the festive spirit.

"What do you mean?" Fitz asked.

"The whole Christmas thing. All it means is that I have to be extra careful when walking outside because its not just my life I have to worry about if I fall flat on my ass. There's pine tree smell filling the air, which is frankly making me gag, and the one person I actually want to spend the day with, I'm not allowed to see," Liv ranted, and Fitz had no idea that Liv was feeling this way, and he was certain that was just the top layer of her feelings about Christmas.

"If it was up to me I would have you right by my side," Fitz said, though he knew that she would be against that. At Christmas he still had a few Presidential roles he had to do. He also had some fatherly ones that he wouldn't miss.

"I know. I doesn't matter. Next year will be different. Next year will be better. Christmas this year is just something we'll have to get through," she said and although her statement was full of optimism it just made Fitz sad.

"You're right," Fitz said, it was easier to agree with Liv, than to change her mind, so he gave in. Though Fitz wouldn't rule out changing her mind further in the future. He just needed time, and a great plan. And as the President he had everything he needed at his beck and call to make a great plan. And now he was determined to change Liv's mind about how this Christmas would be.

 **Ohhh what will Fitz do?**

 **Please Review :D**


	41. Chapter 41

**So again, apologies for the length of time between updates. Thanks to the outstanding amount of feedback I received telling me I should continue. It was amazing to know you all still care. Hope you enjoy this one.**

"I don't remember the last time I actually did Christmas," Olivia said, as she passed the Christmas trees that lined the hallway. The White House was as deserted as it ever could be.

Fitz had told Cyrus to tell the staff to not even think about the office for the next few days, and that Christmas was a time that should be spent with family. And just like his staff, he was going to do just that.

He wasn't sure when he started thinking of Olivia as family, but that's what she had become, and that's what she would always be to him, especially now. He wanted to give her everything, and that was exactly what he intended.

He'd had the plans in motion since the moment Olivia had agreed to come over. He'd picked out a menu especially filled with Liv's favourites. Though he'd had his chef prepare it for them, he would have made it himself, if he had the time, or if he could actually cook.

He'd even been able to sneak out and get some shopping done. It wasn't that much of a difficult feat. After all he was a man who had been keeping a relationship secret for years, a trip to a store was not a hard expedition. Except for the fact, he'd actually never bought Olivia anything before. He'd given her gifts, family heirlooms, or expensive bottles of wine, but nothing he'd had to go into a store to get.

He didn't want to give her jewellery, it was cliché, and the only piece he would want to buy came in a little black box, and they agreed not to take that step yet. He couldn't exactly ask the shop assistant what the perfect gift for Olivia would be. Because it would be guaranteed that within two seconds it would be in the papers. And that would be the exact opposite of what Liv would want.

No this was all up to him. And he was fairly certain he'd done well.

"Just think, you'll never be able to say that again," Fitz beamed and led Liv to the residence. Olivia very rarely went into residence. That was always Mellie's domain. But that would change soon. It was only one more month until their timeline allowed Fitz and Liv to become public, and that meant she would soon move in, if all goes to plan.

Just before the entered the residence, Fitz jogged ahead. Fitz held out his hand, ready to lead Olivia up the small staircase. His eyes shone with glee wanting to show her the surprise that waited on the other side of the door. Liv couldn't resist the look she was receiving, she was putty in his hands.

Olivia took a step to reach Fitz, but somehow lost her footing on the bottom step, and suddenly she hit the floor with what seemed like a large thump.

"Liv," Fitz yelped, and ran the few steps back to check on her. He would have tried to catch her, but she was already on the floor before he could do anything. "Help," he screamed out, and within a few seconds an agent was there.

"I'm fine," Liv said as Fitz and Hal helped her up. Fitz didn't let go of her, even when her feet were placed firmly on the ground. "I just missed where my centre of balance was," she explained.

"Can you get the doctor please," Fitz said to the agent.

"No, I'm fine, nothing hurts, don't worry about it," Liv tried to assure them, Hal stopped, no longer sure who to take orders from.

"You're not the only one who took a slip there, Liv, so you're going to get checked out just to make sure you're both okay," Fitz said, rubbing his hand up and down Olivia's back. He looked over to the agent that was still standing there. "When did you stop taking orders from me?" Fitz asked.

"Right, sorry Mr President," Hal said and went on his way to set it up.

Fitz led Olivia over to a settee sofa against the wall. He knew he would feel more comfortable if Olivia was sitting down. There was a far lesser chance of her falling over again if she was seated. He had yet to let go of her hand, and they lay entwined together on Olivia's lap. He placed feather light kisses on her shoulder.

He wasn't sure the last time he had been that scared, and according to Olivia there was nothing to worry about. But still his heart was pounding out of his chest just at the fear that the worse could be happening. Fitz thought he should be a pro at the whole baby thing by now. But he hadn't felt like this since Jerry, at he assumed those were the same fears that all new parents face. His heart rate was finally slowing down when they were informed the White House doctor was ready for them.

Fitz took Olivia to the examine room, it was the same one he used when he got his yearly physical, or every check-up he had to get after the shooting. They explained the situation to the doctor. Not the whole situation, just that Liv fell on the steps. And that Fitz insisted that everything was okay.

Liv sat up on the examine table, and the doctor rolled over the ultrasound machine. "She needs an ultrasound?" Fitz asked.

"Best way to see how the baby's doing," the doctor said. "Can you lift your shirt up?" He asked, and Liv quickly obliged. Fitz came to sit by Olivia's head.

It was only then when Fitz realised this was going to be the first ultrasound he had seen in real time, and not from a recording after. He just prayed this wasn't the beginning of the end. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it if it were.

The doctor squirted the goo onto Olivia's belly, and started to move the wand around. It felt like an eternity had passed from when the wand was placed on Liv's stomach, to when they heard the first heartbeat.

Fitz's fingers clenched around Liv's far harder than he realised. He breathed out a sigh of relief and his face shone brighter than it ever really had.

"It looks like," The doctor continued examining the screen, while slowly moving the wand around. "You have a healthy baby-"

"No, we don't want to know the sex," Olivia quickly interrupted.

"Right, I should have asked. I don't typically do these anymore," the doctor apologised. "I recommend going to your doctor in a couple of days, just to be sure nothing's wrong. But right now, everything looks fine," he said, taking the wand off.

Liv smiled at the news and noticed that Fitz looked mesmerized by the image of the screen. It looked a hell of a lot more like a baby than it did at the last ultrasound months ago. "Would we be able to stay a little while, and watch?" Liv asked.

"Of course," he said, handing Olivia the wand so she could control the ultrasound herself. "And don't worry, I think doctor patient confidentiality extends to paternity," he smiled, it hadn't taken him too long to work out what was really going on.

"Thank you," Liv said.

"Yeah, thanks Doc," Fitz chimed in, but he really hadn't heard what was being said. His attention had not moved from the screen. He had never seen anything so beautiful. And he knew he wouldn't again for at least a month and a half. If he could stay here forever, he would.

It was perfect. Sure, the way they got here wasn't ideal, but seeing his baby was the best Christmas gift he could ask for.

 **Hope you enjoyed.**

 **I haven't written prose in awhile, so sorry if I'm not as good as I once was. It'll come again with practice.**

 **And please don't complain about the length, i know its a little short, I would have like it a bit longer, but i promised to get something up this weekend, and I've been working my ass off on an assignment that was due yesterday (which took longer than I expected-so I thought I'd be able to get both this and punch out a chap for Afire Love too, but alas no)**

 **Please Review, it really means a lot. And I dont want to be that person, but the amount of feedback I got really motivated me to write again, so thank you.**


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